§ Mr. David HeathTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to encourage local waste disposal authorities to provide for the safe disposal of black silage bag plastic. [9991]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 25 July 1997]: Waste disposal authorities, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, have a duty to arrange for the disposal of controlled waste collected in their area by waste collection authorities. Authorities do not, however, have a duty to dispose of waste from premises used for agriculture. Fanners, as producers of such waste, should aim to recover or reuse such waste where possible or arrange for it to be disposed of at a licensed waste facility. We are considering whether further legal controls are necessary to ensure that waste producers manage their waste responsibly and dispose of it sensibly. Currently, general guidance is provided to farmers in codes of good agricultural practice for the protection of air and soil, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has recently invited bids for a project to develop and test a manual to help farmers minimise waste, including silage bag plastic.