§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what incentives and preventative measures are planned to encourage(a) local councils and (b) other public bodies to use more recycled goods in their service provision. [87965]
§ Mr. MeacherWithin Government, the Sustainable Procurement Group has considered the scope to stimulate markets for recycled goods via public procurement and will make its recommendations to Ministers within the next few weeks. The Group has sought advice from the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) (which was set up to encourage market development for recycled goods) on increasing the uptake of recycled products across Government and we expect its recommendations to point the way to significant improvements in purchasing of recycled products throughout the public sector. The increasing statutory targets that currently exist for local authorities will also provide an incentive for them to ensure that there is a market for recycled goods in place.
More recently the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report on Waste Strategy has recommended that the work that the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is undertaking with the Local Government Association and Improvement and Development Agency to promote the take-up of green procurement by local authorities be extended still further. It also suggested that formal mechanisms be put in place to roll out best practice tools developed by the Sustainable Procurement Group to local government. In Central Government it recommended targets for the use of recycled materials. Voluntary green targets were also recommended for local authorities to purchase more recycled goods, minimise waste volumes and to encourage them to recycle more of their waste. The Government aim to publish their response to that report in the spring.