§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to meet the target of recycling 25 per cent. of all household waste by the end of the century; and if he will make a statement outlining the present percentage of all household waste that is recycled in Scotland and by how much it has changed since 1990.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 14 May 1992]: In Scotland, Government action to meet our recycling targets includes: guidance for local authorities on recycling, including techniques for planning and costing; a requirement that waste disposal authorities give priority to recycling in their waste management planning; a request to waste disposal authorities that they prepare draft recycling plans by August this year; introduction of a system of recycling credits to encourage authorities to pass on to recyclers any savings in disposal costs that they achieve through having waste taken out of the usual disposal route; encouragement to local authorities to make provisions for funding of recycling in their financial planning; joint research with the Department of the Environment and the Department of Trade and Industry on the use of economic instruments to promote recycling; pilot projects in Dundee and Falkirk, promoted by Dundee district council and UK 2000 respectively.
Within the Scottish Office, Ministers and officials increasingly use recycled paper and have encouraged others to do likewise. The percentage of all household waste that is recycled in Scotland was estimated at about 2 per cent. in 1990. The Government are taking steps in collaboration with local authorities to improve information, so that trends can be reliably established.