Defra rejects ACP steel recovery proposals

Carly Chambers, EA producer responsibility regulatory services manager, wrote: “[The ACP's options] have been considered by the Minister, who considered the benefits and risks of each options and concluded that no changes should be made to the system.”

Steel is said to have been the packaging material that has been hardest hit by the economic downturn, although the EA said recent figures were an “encouraging indication” that steel reprocessing had increased since the beginning of the year.

The ACP’s metals protocol taskforce said in May that around 60% to 65% of waste steel was exported, and less material was being shipped and reprocessed.

The task force looked at a number of possible solutions including issuing the PERN when the material arrives at its destination, rather than when it is loaded, and making it possible to use evidence that will be generated in the future for this year’s targets.

Chambers said: “Defra have agreed with the ACP to continue to monitor the situation with regards to steel packaging waste.”

Defra and the ACP were unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

In November, Corus Steel Packaging Recycling stopped paying for steel scrap as demand from the construction and automobile industries collapsed. Steel PRNs were £75 a tonne in July, up from £15 in January, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

The recession has also been blamed for a 22% increase in the amount of material that is exported for recycling. Click here for more.

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