§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of(a) paper and (b) other goods purchased by his Department was recycled paper in each year since 1997; what the annual total cost of these purchases was; what plans there are to increase these proportions; and if he will make a statement. [65772]
§ Beverley Hughes(a) The proportion of recycled paper purchased by the Department from the framework paper contract for 2000–01 and 2001–02 is set out in the table. Figures for earlier years are not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Year Number of reams of recycled paper Cost of Recycled paper Total number of reams purchased Total cost of paper purchased Percentage of recycled paper purchased 2000–01 12,830 £28,536 556,084 £889,789 2 2001–02 27,230 £85,820 797,212 £451,900 The Home Office has recently made the use of recycled paper for photocopiers, printers and facsimile equipment compulsory. This mandate applies to the core Home Office and should result in around 40 per cent. of all paper purchased by the Department as a whole being recycled. This percentage may increase shortly: the Prison Service has issued guidance to their procurement staff encouraging them to use recycled paper and the United Kingdom Passport Agency and the Forensic Science Service are at present considering whether to make its use compulsory.
(b) Figures are not available for the proportion of other goods purchased by the Home Office that were derived from recycled paper.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of waste produced in his Department was(a) recycled, (b) composted and (c) re-used, broken down into (i) paper, (ii) plastics, (iii) aluminium cans and (iv) other in each year since 1997; what plans there are to increase these proportions; and if he will make a statement.[65701]
§ Beverley HughesThe information requested is not recorded centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, records for the Department's Central London headquarters estate show that 20 per cent. of the office waste was recycled in 2000–01 and 25 per cent. was recycled in 2001–02.
Waste minimisation schemes are being introduced at all key sites on the Department's non-prison estate, while waste audits have been conducted at 72 sites on the prison estate and waste management units are operational at 14 prisons and developmental work is underway at a further 18 sites.
We are considering how to increase the range and amount of waste sent for recycling.