Government must resist calls from the waste packaging industry to take control of household waste and recycling services and ensure local communities remain at the heart of deciding how rubbish is collected in their neighbourhood, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
A 29 September statement from the group said: “Decisions about collections and services must remain in the hands of communities, not handed over to producers whose priority will inevitably be profit. If this scheme is to succeed, it must strengthen local delivery, not sideline it.”
Under the Government’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, the cost of managing packaging waste will shift onto the businesses that produce it. The LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, supports this principle and wants to see the reforms succeed.
However, the LGA is concerned that industry lobbying to take key powers over doorstep waste services away from democratically elected local authorities and into the hands of the packaging industry.
Recent bids from industry groups responding to Government proposals say that, because they will have to contribute to waste and recycling costs, they should – in return – take on a wide range of powers, including what local waste services should look like, how much money is spent in each area, and are calling for funding to be withheld from councils that don’t comply with industry-preferred models.
The private sector argues it can bring “the culture of productivity and cost savings to waste services”, but councils warn these risks reducing services to a one-size-fits-all model, where decisions are driven by cost rather than community benefit.
Local waste and recycling services consistently achieve high public satisfaction and trust. Despite over a decade of funding pressures, including a 20 per cent cut to environmental services since 2010, councils have built some of the best-performing recycling systems in the world.
This success is rooted in local knowledge, long-standing relationships with residents, and a track record of adapting services to different places – from cities to coastal towns and rural areas.
Cllr Arooj Shah, environment spokesperson for the LGA said:
“Councils are proud to deliver waste and recycling services that are trusted by the public and tailored to the needs of local areas. We support the ambition of the EPR reforms, but they must be built on partnership and respect for what local government delivers every day.
“Decisions about collections and services must remain in the hands of communities, not handed over to producers whose priority will inevitably be profit. If this scheme is to succeed, it must strengthen local delivery, not sideline it.”
The LGA says it continues to call for fair, full funding for local authorities under EPR, a genuine partnership between all parts of the system, and a focus on reducing waste at its source.
