Amongst the 18 terms of reference are questions about how the government can work with local councils to increase the frequency and quality of rubbish collections and make it easier to recycle, including specifically to cut the scope of collections and to address public concerns over the civil liberty aspects of enforcement practices.

The government also wants ideas on how to decentralise power and responsibility for some services to local communities, and how to radically increase the amount of energy from waste through anaerobic digestion.

  • How to maximise waste management's contribution to the UK's renewable energy and climate change goals
  • The need for "waste evidence", including data needed to gauge future waste volumes
  • Future infrastructure needs - including energy from waste and anaerobic digestion - including the role of planning and to "enable community ownership" of infrastructure
  • Achieving "better alignment" of business and household waste policies
  • The role of regulation and enforcement in waste management, in particular looking to reducing burdens on businesses while continuing to protect the environment
  • How to reduce the use of landfill so that in future it is only used for waste "for which no better use is practicable".

On the Defra website there is also an online survey on waste and for those with a specific interest in particular areas of waste policy or delivery and a discussion area.

The Terms of Reference can be found on the Defra website at: http://tinyurl.com/2vkjexs

Further details on the Call for Evidence, and the different ways you can input into  the Review can be found on the Defra waste website at: http://tinyurl.com/2wv4es3

The deadline for responses is 9 September 2010. The Call for Evidence will close on 7 October 2010. The early results of the Review will be made available in Spring 2011.