§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is being done to assess the impact of the different waste management practices required as a consequence of the(a) Landfill Directive and (b) the Waste Management Strategy. [137530]
§ Mr. MorleyA number of studies looking at the health impacts of different waste management options are being carried out by the Environment Agency. Following recommendations in the Strategy Unit report Waste not, Want not, and the 2002 Pre-Budget Report, the Government commissioned a review of existing literature and evidence of the health and environmental effects of different waste management: options. The first phase of the report has looked at facilities which handle municipal solid waste and waste of a similar nature. This is now being peer reviewed by the Royal Society and is due to be published around the time of the Pre-Budget Report.
The Government will consider whether there are further research requirements in the light of the conclusions of the Review.