§ Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what impact impending EU legislation will have on the UK waste management strategy. [19053]
§ Mr. Meacher: There are a number of EU Directives still in the developmental stage or in the process of being transposed into UK law, including those relating to End of Life Vehicles, Batteries, and Waste Electrical 494W and Electronic Equipment, which will extend producer responsibilities. These should encourage producers and distributors to internalise costs of disposal and lead to more efficient use of resources.
The EU Landfill Directive of 1999 requires us to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill to 75 per cent. of 1995 levels by 2010, 50 per cent. by 2013 and 35 per cent. by 2020.
In order to achieve this, the national waste strategy, published in May 2000, prioritises waste minimisation, re-use and recycling. This year we have set challenging statutory recycling targets for each local authority to achieve and are supporting the delivery of these with additional funding, including a £140 million pot on which consultation is currently under way.