With all the focus on household recycling rates, business waste could slip through the cracks. But this year’s LARAC Conference saw recycling officers being asked to turn their attention to trade waste. Resource reports

Defra’s new recycling minister, Lord Taylor of Holbeach used the keynote address at this year’s LARAC Conference to announce the official launch of the Business Recycling and Waste Services Commitment, first mooted in this year’s Waste Review.

The new voluntary agreement sets out 12 principles of best practice that local authorities can use to tailor recycling services for local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Across the UK, SMEs are responsible for creating 30 million tonnes of waste a year; more than 50 per cent of this is recycled, but the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) claims that 90 per cent of companies would recycle more if they had better access to recycling services.

Launching the commitment, Lord Taylor talked about “ensuring businesses play their part” and the folly of “keeping household and business services so separate”. He added: “This deal will bring much-needed relief for smaller businesses that want to do the right thing but are struggling to get a decent recycling service. For the first time we’ve got a solid agreement between councils and businesses to make it easier and more cost effective for smaller firms to recycle more and improve their resource efficiency.