Government criticised for ignoring business waste

Members of the House of Lords are calling on the government to do more to tackle commercial and industrial waste, rather than focusing on household waste.

The ‘Waste Reduction’ report by the House of Lords Science Committee concludes that the government should restructure the way local authorities deal with rubbish to allow them to address the high volumes of waste produced by the commercial and industrial sectors.

It added that ministers must do more to ensure that businesses are concerned about waste reduction and take responsibility to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

The report also criticised the culture of ‘fast fashion’ in the UK, meaning that manufacturers produce cheap clothes designed only to be worn a few times.

Lord O’Neill who chairs the sub-committee on waste reduction, said the government needs to refocus its priorities from household waste to the greater problem presented by commercial and industrial waste.

Joan Ruddock, the government’s waste and recycling minister, responded by saying that the report is wrong in its criticisms of government policy, and pointed to the government’s £650 million investment to reduce business waste.

However, the Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse welcomed the report’s conclusions with ‘full support’.

A spokesperson for the group said the report’s recommendations are ‘pragmatic, feasible and timely’.