Government should make employers’ waste reduction a priority
David Woods, 27 August 2008
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The House of Lords Science Committee has called on Government to focus more on encouraging companies and public-sector organisations rather than individuals to reduce waste.
The committee claims that if employers reduce their waste, not only will it increase their CSR profile but save them money and make British business more competitive internationally.
Domestic waste accounts for only a small proportion of waste in the UK, so employers should be encouraged to actively reduce waste rather than recycle, according to the committee. Therefore the Government has been recommended to use tax penalties such as landfill tax to encourage and fund waste reduction initiatives.
Government has also been advised to produce tailored guidance to businesses to help them reduce waste.
Lord O'Neill, chairman of the Lords Science Sub-Committee on Waste Reduction, said: "There has been an impressive increase in recycling of domestic waste in the past few years but that only represents a tiny fraction of all waste generated in the UK. It is time for the Government to move its priorities from household waste to the far greater problem of industrial and commercial waste."
