§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what has been the expenditure by his Department on research into the uses of refuse, particularly of plastics in each of the past five years;
(2) what has been the expenditure by his Department on research into the collection and recycling of waste paper in each of the past five years.
§ Mr. MarksSince 1971 the Department has sponsored research into the mechanical sorting of municipal waste and the production of a waste-derived fuel but it is not possible to identify the separate elements of this work. In 1973–74, 1974–75 and 1975–76 expenditure was about £100,000 a year, rising to £270,000 in 1976–77 and £1,320,000 in 1977–78.