The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has told Defra that it is strongly in favour of a mandatory MRF code of practice.
The CIWM, which was responding to a government consultation, also called for a high level of transparency of information including robust sampling and analysis requirements, plus audit and enforcement frameworks.
“In the case of sampling and analysis, we want consistently good MRF operation to be recognised through regulatory relief for the operator, including a reduced future sample frequency or a link to the regulator's compliance assessment scheme”, said CIWM chief executive Steve Lee.
“For audits, the very least we want to see is unannounced visits by the regulators, possibly linked to permit compliance inspections. As for enforcement, it must be robust for the scheme to succeed; ideally, CIWM would also like to see the quality of recyclates checked more at the MRF than at the dockside.”