§ Sir Kenneth CarlisleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities will receive supplementary credit approval resources for recycling projects in 1995–96; and if he will make a statement. [23930]
§ Mr. AtkinsI am announcing today the allocation of £16.4 million in supplementary credit approval resources for investment in recycling by local authorities in 199596. This is the fifth year of the programme, and we have been able to allocate more resources than ever before.
The £16.4 million of SCAs available for 1995–96 forms part of the Government's environmental partnership 494W initiative, which aims to maximise investment through a combination of Government resources, authorities' own resources and private sector contributions. Authorities which aim to do this have done well in the allocations.
A variety of schemes, ranging from large scale material reclamation facilities to home composting initiatives, have received support. Schemes to collect waste oil, and chlorofluorocarbons and plastics have been given particular priority.
We have received bids totalling over £23 million. Each authority is today being notified of the outcome of its bid. A list of the allocations has been placed in the Library.
Some authorities have already received considerable support from the private sector to develop recycling projects and we expect to see private sector funding increase as industry works towards achieving recovery targets as part of our producer responsibility initiative.
For instance, one of the objectives of our producer responsibility initiative for packaging waste is to extend "close-to home" recycling facilities to eight out of 10 homes by the year 2000. If the packaging industry is to meet this target, it will need to work with local authorities to build on the recycling infrastructure which they have already established.
Many local authorities are promoting composting as a means of contributing to the target of recycling 25 per cent. of household waste by the year 2000. The Government are keen to support new composting initiatives which make good environmental and economic sense.
The composting schemes supported this year include some large scale composting plants, but the majority are home composting schemes, which put the onus on householders to make better use of their own garden and kitchen waste. We all need to take responsibility for the waste we produce and I would urge householders to support these initiatives where the opportunity arises.