Defra failing to meet business waste expectations

5 Mar 10
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is failing to meet its target to reduce the amount of harmful business waste sent to landfill sites, according to auditors
By Jaimie Kaffash

5 March 2010

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is failing to meet its target to reduce the amount of harmful business waste sent to landfill sites, according to auditors.

A National Audit Office report, published today, said that waste has fallen by 11% – 2.3 million tonnes – since 2005. However, Defra’s expectation to reduce landfill waste by 20% by the end of 2010 would not be met at the current rate of progress.

Defra set up the £240m Business Resource Efficiency and Waste Programme, which operated between 2005 and 2008 and aimed to return money gained through landfill taxes to business through a series of small grant schemes to improve waste management.

However, the NAO says it was unable to conclude how much of the 11% reduction this was down to the programme because of a lack of specific Defra targets and performance indicators. It adds that, although the programme did produce benefits, there should be more long-term gains. It also criticises the department for not providing enough information to businesses about the services available through the programme. 

Auditor general Amyas Morse said: ‘There are indications that the programme has delivered some positive results: participating businesses have reported benefits, and there should be further long-term gains in terms of reductions in business waste.

‘However, the low awareness of the programme among businesses and the absence of clear targets and reliable information to measure progress mean we cannot say whether the department achieved value for money from the £240m spent on the programme.’

Defra welcomed the report and said: ‘We agree with the NAO that the programme delivered positive results, for example businesses have saved money and increased profits through the re-use of waste as a resource.  Environmental benefits include greenhouse house gas emission reductions, waste diverted from landfill and a reduction in the use of natural resources. 

‘We are using the lessons learned from this programme to improve the support that we provide to business on resource efficiency and waste.’

However, a spokesman for Friends of the Earth told Public Finance that there was a concern about where the waste was going. He said: 'Public money is not being well spent if it simply moves waste out of landfill and into incineration rather than more sustainable management, but this report does not draw that distinction. The UK currently burns or buries at least £650m per year of valuable resources. True value for money will be found in a joined-up approach to waste that focuses first on prevention, and then on reuse, recycling and composting.'

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