Waste targets and enforcements - Should businesses pay?

The world of recycling and reuse seems to get busier by the day. I was recently at the AGM of the London Community Resource Network where I was standing to be elected as a new trustee to the board. In my election address I’d said that I felt that amidst all the gloom of the recession there are clear signs that reuse is really climbing the political as well as the economic agenda.

With reuse being 12 times more effective at creating jobs and at creating better jobs at that, the time has come to really promote it and the community sector has a great opportunity to be right at the front of that growth. I was asked whether I felt there should be any legislation to force householders to recycle more and I replied that actually I thought there should be legally binding targets imposed upon business to recycle and reuse their waste. Not an opinion that will go down well in board rooms but when you consider that businesses produce around 3 – 4 times the amount of waste that is produced by households you’ll appreciate where I’m coming from.

When you also consider that businesses have far more control over their waste than households or local authorities then I think the argument is conclusive. Businesses can and should look to significantly increase their recycling and reuse of waste and if they can’t then the government should set targets for them.

Colin Crooks, CEO