§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to reduce the amount of waste being disposed of by incineration; and if she will make a statement. [8287]
§ Margaret Beckett[holding answer 18 October 2001]Our priority is to meet the requirement of the Landfill Directive to divert biodegradable municipal waste away from landfill by maximising recycling and composting and minimising the need for incineration and landfill. In order to achieve this the Government have set tough statutory targets under best value for local authorities to double the amount of household waste recycled by 2003–04 and treble it by 2005–06, and will set further targets for later years.