Gordon said that he was not being critical of “something that the Government has not published yet”.

However, he said that Scotland and Wales had already put ambitious waste policy plans in place and had taken a clear leadership role on waste policy. For instance, he cited that Scotland had introduced plans to mandate source segregation and landfill bans but Gordon said he did not necessarily endorse these plans.

Gordon also said that Wales had introduced ambitious food waste reduction and plastic bag policies.

‘Leadership role’

He commented: “Regardless of what you think about these policies individually, there is a leadership role being taken here. Whether you agree or disagree with Scotland’s plans it intends to change the way it deals with its waste radically.

“I certainly believe that Defra want to take a similar leadership role and want to put those policies in place but I think there are real challenges for them in the current policy landscape.”

Gordon said that local authorities face massive cuts and this presented a challenge and the new challenge of the localism policy.

He said without a clear strategy, high level of ambition and policy in place the Waste Review will just be “an empty promise”.

The long-awaited Waste Review is expected to be published next week Tuesday (14 June).

Packaging targets

Media reports have suggested that targets for packaging recycling for beyond those currently in place up to 2012 are expected to be set as part of the review, with key government advisors calling for tougher future goals in light of the 2010-12 targets being relatively flat.

Criticising the “much vaunted and much delayed Waste Review”, Labour MP for Copeland Jamie Reed said that it had “failed to set the political world alight.” He suggested that some within Defra have briefed that the Waste Review will only be a “series of case studies”.

Investment in on-the-go-recycling infrastructure

Gordon explained that he wished to see policies supporting SMEs and on-the-go-recycling in the Waste Review. He said: “It would be great to see Defra lead a conversation on this about how we take it forward.”

He said that at the moment the conversation was disjointed about on-the-go-recycling  but the UK could increase the amount of recycling it did if it had more investment in on-the-go recycling infrastructure. For instance, by increasing the amount of aluminum cans it recycled.