This is Rubbish

The House of Commons Environment Committee has produced its report on the Government’s 2007 Waste Strategy, calling for major reform to the policy. The report strongly criticises the Government’s disproportionate focus on municipal waste, which amounts to only 9% of the total waste to be disposed of. Further, it highlights the Government’s failure to make provisions for commercial and industrial waste in the policy as a “key omission”.

"In Scotland we throw away 566,000 tonnes of food waste every year and of that 69% could have been avoided if we managed our food better". Laws banning certain types of rubbish from being dumped at landfill sites may be introduced, Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said yesterday. “For instance it would make sense to start by banning landfill of biodegradable wastes, such as food and garden waste.” Labour environment spokeswoman Elaine Murray said that she said she doubted if the plan would herald any “radical changes” because about 15% of all waste in Scotland came from households – but there is a “pressing need” to tackle commercial waste. Campaigns to tackle Scotland’s food waste are highlighted in a new BBC ALBA documentary

40% of US food wasted (full report here)

New food waste film.

The European Commission has called for existing rules on bio-waste management to be sharpened, in order to reduce food waste, raise renewable energy production and yield high quality compost for agricultural uses. Significantly, Brussels has not put forward a stand-alone bio-waste law but rather shows how existing legislation, which covers bio-waste, could be implemented better.

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