§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the pilot projects dealing with fast food and litter partnerships; and if she will make a statement. [187571]
§ Alun MichaelIn fuly 2002, Defra asked ENCAMS (Environmental Campaigns) to devise a voluntary code of practice for the fay t food industry aimed at improving local environmental quality, and the instances of fast food waste that becomes litter in rural and urban areas.
In November 2003, McDonald's and the Local Government Association (LGA) formed a pioneer partnership to assist local authorities in improving the quality of local environments and public spaces. The scheme was devised to support the Voluntary Code of Best Environmental Practice for the Fast Food Industry.
The pilot scheme, covering a mix of rural and urban areas, is currently running in Sheffield, Maidstone, and Taunton and Deane. McDonald's and the LGA 1413W intention is to promote Defra's proposed code within each local authority, targeting all quick service restaurants in the area. The code sets out a framework for joint action between fast food businesses and land managers, and amongst others, encourages "litter patrols", the provision of litter bins and anti-littering signage.
The work on the pilots has helped to inform our further work on the code in preparation for a formal launch later in the year, with analysis of the scheme's success planned in due course.