Risk news

Encouraging businesses to take responsibility for safe waste disposal through voluntary deals is a good idea, but firms must act, an expert has said.

Earlier this week, Lord Henley announced proposals to implement plans whereby industry sectors take responsibility for waste and recycling alongside government guidance, without the need for formal legislation.

According to Mike Webster, spokesperson for Waste Watch, such measures can be effective but only with industry backing.

"Responsibility deals can be a very good way of getting a certain industry or sector to get their house in order - as long as it triggers action - then it can be a very useful tool in the box," he said.

However, the Federation of Small Businesses claimed that small to medium-sized businesses required loans or subsidies to assist them in bringing in new recycling plans.

"There are various well known barriers to small and medium-sized businesses recycling, such as time and space," Mr Webster explained.

"Incentives such as landfill tax which makes it more expensive to throw stuff away won't work unless businesses have access to a reasonably priced recycling service."

If you have acquired environmental responsibilities for your company recently and want to be sure you are meeting your legal requirements, then our Getting Started in the Environment course provides a useful introduction.