§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress of plans for a study of the400W potential of deposit refund schemes in the United Kingdom to promote (a) refuse and (b) waste minimisation. [121984]
§ Mr. MorleyWe believe there may be environmental and commercial benefits in a deposit and return system for some bottles and other containers. A deposits system would involve the public directly in waste collection and this would help to change the culture of waste collection and recycling.
We are currently investigating the deposit systems used in other European countries. Some of these countries have reported very high administrative costs, which could make these schemes a more expensive way of recycling products than other collection methods. Some countries have reported benefits from such systems, particularly in terms of higher recycling rates, but sometimes these occur in the countries which have high packaging waste recycling targets and it is not clear that deposit systems on their own would deliver high recycling rates in a cost-effective way.
We would therefore need to consider both the costs and benefits of a possible deposit scheme in the United Kingdom. In particular, we would have to examine how deposit systems could complement and add to other means of encouraging waste minimization and recycling, such as the packaging Regulations.
§ Vera BairdTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantities of(a) paper, (b) glass, (c) cans, (d) oil and (e) bottles are recycled through council-organised recycling schemes in (i) Redcar, (ii) the north-east and (iii) England. [122331]
§ Mr. MorleyThe information requested is set out in the following table:
Household waste recycling 2001–02 tonnes Material Redcar and Cleveland UA North-east region England Paper and card 467 29,000 959,000 Glass 359 11,000 428,000 Cans 267 1,000 26,000 Oil 15 n/a n/a Source:
Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey 2001–02
We do not hold a figure for bottles. The glass figure will include glass bottles collected for recycling.
§ Vera BairdTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of household rubbish is recycled through council-organised recycling schemes in(a) Redcar, (b) the North East and (c) England. [122332]
§ Mr. MorleyThe household waste recycling rate for 2001–02 was as follows:
Percentage Household waste recycling rate 2001–02 Redcar and Cleveland 2 North East Region 5 England 12 Source:
Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey 2001–02