BRITAIN’s ‘hotch-potch’ composting infrastructure must be reformed to help achieve ambitious environmental targets, according to compostable packaging developer TIPA.
The UK Government is set to publish a plan to reach net zero by 2050 and halve the amount of waste per person sent to residual treatment.
However, this will not be realised without a huge increase in composting, said Daphna Nissenbaum, CEO and co-founder of TIPA.
Daphna, who is also a member of the UK’s Compostable Coalition, explained, “We must acknowledge that composting is one of the most viable solutions to the environmental crisis, as it is nature’s way of recycling. Although there are some 9.5 million tonnes of food waste in the UK each year, Britain’s compostable collection is hotch-potch; only 115 councils collect food waste out of 333, and they give different advice and have different coloured bins, depending on where you live.
“It means consumers are left scratching their heads while huge amounts of food waste are sent to landfill, emitting huge amounts of methane. 2023 all this the year this must change.”
Last month the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published its environmental targets. Following a public consultation, it is expected to publish its Environmental Improvement Plan later this month which will show how the targets will be hit.
