On Tuesday 15th October 2019, the government shared their latest Environment Bill with Parliament in hopes that this will be the next “historic step change in the way we protect and enhance our precious natural environment”.
As well as identifying areas where we can transform waste management, this Bill outlines various areas where necessary changes need to be made compulsory in order to create an England where “future generations [will be allowed] to prosper”.
Before we discuss the nitty-gritty of the proposed regulations for waste management, our underlying passion is and has always been about finding new ways to reduce the negative impact our lifestyles have on the environment.
In total, the Bill introduced five ground-breaking suggestions to tackle environmental issues:
- The government is to uphold environmentally conscious decision-making
- Fight air pollution
- Plan for new nature focussed spaces
- Waste management improvements
- Clean water sources for everyone
Government decision-making
The Environment Bill will be setting non-negotiable targets for environmental improvements. Therefore, any and every decision made and passed through the government needs to have been made with a clear indication of what impact this decision will have on the environment.
In order to ensure that this is upheld throughout, a new public body has been formed. Known as the Office for Environmental Protection, this public body will oversee all decisions made by the government. Thus, the body will have the means available to hold the government and other public bodies accountable if any environmental targets are not met due to a neglectful decision they have made.
Tackle polluted air
We currently have a Clean Air Strategy and Clean Air Act in place, but these are outdated. Therefore, the Environment Bill will be helping to modernise these and tackle new issues that have risen since the introduction of them.
Inevitably, the main issue with poor air quality is the fact it’s the greatest environmental risk to all human health. With this in mind, the Environment Bill will be focussing on emissions that produce the biggest risk to humans. Again, by putting in place legally binding targets reduce these emissions, the Bill will help to improve the quality and length of life for millions of people.
Replace removed natural environments
UK population has increased considerably, especially in England, meaning the demand for new housing developments has shot through the roof. Furthermore, land and natural environments are being bought and overrun with no plan in place to restore them.
Planting new natural environments works in conjunction with clearing the air of pollution. It’s not rare knowledge that trees absorb odors and pollutant gases such as nitrogen oxides, ammonia, and sulfur dioxide.
Not only do they enhance our ability to breathe, but copious amounts of wildlife rely on trees to provide food, protection, and homes. Furthermore, counteracting our impact on the environment that has led to the near extinction of certain species.
Clean and plentiful water supply for everyone
Cooperatively, the Environment Bill looks to strengthen the likelihood of delivering on the 25 Year Environment Plan.
Primarily focussing on directing water companies to work together to meet the demand of water from UK residents without compromising the health of our environment.
Focus on production and disposal of waste
Firstly, this Bill wishes to implement a personal responsibility on producers to be more aware of how their products and materials are disposed of. One way in which the government feel they could push for this is by offering an incentive for production companies who reuse materials.
However, waste management doesn’t lie solely on the producers but also the general public.
Disposing of litter correctly should be second nature with the amount of educational resources provided on how to. However, the government need to review why people are using organised, profit-making gangs to dispose of their rubbish illegally. Once this is determined it should be easier to put in place a deterrent that persuades others from wanting to be involved with or run these organisations.
What are we doing to improve on our part?
At PSH Environmental, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve on our entire procedure to deliver on our ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ goal. Although, we also look to ensure that our process both prior to and following the waste extraction process has a minimal impact on the environment.
For example, we’re proactive and have opted to send the general waste we acquire to European cities such as Amsterdam where it will be incinerated into reusable energy, as opposed to sending the waste to landfill.
Eventually, we hope that the UK will jump on board to use general waste as a source of energy for ourselves. This way, we’ll be able to cut down on the emissions produced by the vehicles that deliver the general waste from our yards to Amsterdam frequently.
Relating some of the processes we run already with the new Bill, during our extraction process, we extract materials such as rubble, concrete, and brick. With these, we form three piles of aggregates which includes ‘Large Oversized Hardcore’, ‘8-100mm Mixed Aggregate’, and ‘Crushed Hardcore’. From there, we outsource these aggregates to construction companies and the council where they can be reused for roads and new homes.
For that reason, these companies and public sectors may be rewarded with an incentive from the government due to the reuse of materials in their production process. This in turn should encourage other companies and sectors to also make the conscious change to reuse materials.
All in all, the Environment Bill will be marked in history as the ground-breaking change that enhanced the UK’s strong track record and set out a world-leading vision.
If you’re looking to dispose of your household or commercial waste with a company who will take precautions to guarantee it is removed correctly and with the ambition to send none of it to landfill, then get in touch with our friendly team today. Otherwise, feel free to use our easy online booking forms if you know exactly what skip you need!
