HWRC Industry News
Introduction:
Here, we'll share the latest updates from across the sector.
Landfill tax to rise to £126.15 from 2026/26:
As confirmed in the chancellor's spring budget, the standard rate of landfill tax will rise to £126.15 in 2025/26, while the lower rate will increase to £4.05 per tonne.
This 21% increase has been introduced "to better reflect actual RPI and ensure the tax continues to incentivise investment in more sustainable waste management infrastructure".
The move is expected to raise an additional £50 million for the Treasury over the next three years before falling to an additional £45 million in 2028/29.
You can read more about this here.
Devon County Council and Suez launch electrical reuse initiative:
Suez and Devon County Council (DCC) have announced an electrical reuse hub that tests, cleans, and prices donated electrical items to be sold at HWRCs across Devon.
As part of the initiative, recycling centre staff have been reaching out to residents & encouraging them to bring in electrical items that could be saved from going to waste. These items are then separated by staff, picked up from the recycling centre and taken to the newly created electrical testing hub. A trained staff member will then sort through the goods, clean the items and conduct a safety and function test. After this, they'll be priced based on their condition & returned to be sold at HWRCs across the county.
You can learn more about the initiative here.
New legislation proposed to stop unregistered waste collectors:
Conservative MP Paul Bristow has proposed legislation that would stop unregistered waste collectors advertising their services online.
Bristow states that “through this Bill we will close the loopholes that allow fly-tippers to advertise their criminality online, and we will force local authorities to fine perpetrators on both public and private land,” he said.
You can read the full article here.
E-waste set to rise to 82m tonnes by 2030, according to a recent UN report:
The United Nations (UN) has released its Global E-waste Monitor (GEM), detailing that the generation of electronic waste is rising 5x faster than that of recycled waste.
The report notes higher consumption, limited repair options, shorter product life cycles, growing electronification, design issues, and inadequate e-waste management infrastructure as key challenges.
However, according to the UN, if countries could bring the e-waste collection and recycling rates up to 60% by 2030, the benefits would exceed costs by more than 30 billion pounds.
You can read the full article here.
SEPA tackles waste criminality using social media:
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has launched a pilot digital regulation program to tackle environmental criminality online.
According to SEPA, the digital regulation pilot has already identified that "between 50- 60%" of businesses advertising on social media could be operating without holding a waste carrier licence.
Jennifer Shearer, Head of Enforcement at SEPA, said: "Since the pandemic, we have seen a growing trend of waste collection and junk removal adverts moving online to social media platforms. These businesses can look very professional and legitimate, with engaging adverts and reviews of great services, but what we are finding is they are often illegal.
She goes on to say that these traders are "capitalising on householders looking for a quick, same-day service & that they are "operating unlawfully, without the correct licences, and are often illegally disposing of the waste in Scotland's environment."
You can read more about the scheme here.
