Domestic waste recovery by Local Authorities in the UK: a background to the Green Paper

The recent Green Paper ‘War on Waste’ urges local authorities to organize the recovery and re-use of waste materials in their areas. It is ambiguous, however, on the question of whether recovery should be regarded primarily as a commercial venture or a social service. In this article some of the factors to be considered before embarking on a recovery programme are discussed, and the authors identify some of the arguments for and against the view that recovery is properly a local authority service. Questions considered include the costs and savings associated with a recovery scheme, the impact of the activities of opportunists and the role of the private contractor and voluntary organizations.