§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce legislation to prevent the importing of waste into the United Kingdom for disposal. [138186]
§ Mr. MeacherThe UK already prohibits most imports of waste for final disposal. Under the legally binding United Kingdom Management Plan for Exports and Imports of Waste, which came into effect in June 1996, the UK accepts wastes only from those countries which cannot reasonably be expected to deal with specific wastes in an environmentally sound manner. This is because we have the necessary treatment facilities which meet tough environmental standards. This policy is designed to encourage countries to become as self-sufficient as possible in waste disposal.
Consistent with European law, however, the UK cannot prohibit imports of wastes for recovery, which could include shipments of municipal wastes for incineration with energy recovery. However, shipments of municipal waste still require the prior consent of the UK enforcement authorities and would have to meet specific criteria set out in the UK Plan. There may be grounds for objecting to individual shipments if the primary purpose of the importing facility is to treat local wastes and those wastes will be displaced by the proposed imports. Available data show that no imports of municipal waste have taken place since the existing UK Plan came into effect in 1996.
UK policies and procedures on the acceptance of waste imports are being considered as part of the current review of the UK Plan.