DEFRA recently published the long awaited MRF Regulations and a summary of consultation responses. The regulations aim to drive up the quality both of materials entering MRFs and the output materials sold on for reprocessing.
The mandatory Code of Practice comes into effect in autumn and requires all MRFs processing over 1,000 tonnes of material to sample and report on the materials inputs and the various materials streams resulting from sorting and separation. The regulations should serve to increase confidence in the purchasing of materials from MRFs by reprocessors, supporting the move to a more circular economy.
The Code of Practice should enable local authorities and waste companies to demonstrate that the comingling of recycling collections can deliver high quality materials, and help to provide a more robust monitoring framework to assess whether comingled collections meet the requirements of the revised Waste Framework Directive.
The regulations also create opportunities to provide greater transparency for Councils, LARAC Chair, Andrew Bird commented: ‘LARAC welcomes these regulations coming into force, although we had argued for tougher controls and sampling on MRF operators. They are however a welcome step forward in having a mechanism which can help members reassure residents that the effort they put into recycling results in high quality materials being fully utilised.’ The regulations will be enforced by the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales through one pre-arranged inspection and one unannounced inspection each year under their existing regulatory powers.
The documents can be found at the following links:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/255/contents/made
