§ Mr. Ammonasked the Minister of Supply whether his attention has been called to a conference of representatives of local authorities, held at the Town Hall, West Ham, on 17th June, 1940, under the chairmanship of the Deputy-Controller of Salvage, to consider an offer made by the British Feeding Meals and Milk Products, Limited, to use their plant and machinery at their Stratford works for converting kitchen waste to pig and poultry food on the basis of kitchen waste being dealt with up to a maximum of 50,000 tons a year; on this basis the Camberwell Borough Council made arrangements for the collection of kitchen waste, but when the arrangements had been made it was found impossible for the firm to take kitchen waste from the Camberwell Borough Council: whether 1516W this firm is yet capable of dealing with the annual amount of waste referred to; and, if not, what steps is it proposed to take in order to convert kitchen waste into pig and poultry food in the Metropolitan area?
§ Mr. Harold MacmillanI am aware of the conference of local authorities at West Ham in June last, and at that conference British Feeding Meals and Milk Products, Limited, stated that they hoped to process 50,000 tons of kitchen waste a year at their Stratford Works. This month, however, British Feeding Meals and Milk Products, Limited, intimated that they could not deal with kitchen waste at the rate of more than 20,500 tons per annum owing to the material proving too bulky for their plant. In the interim a breakdown of machinery had occurred. The Camberwell Borough Council stated on 7th August that an experimental collection of kitchen waste would be started in the borough. On 14th August the council were put in touch with a private firm in Camberwell who might be able to take the output of kitchen waste in the borough for processing as pig food. At the present time kitchen waste is being collected and processed in the Metropolitan area at the rate of 27,000 tons per annum, and it is hoped by arrangements with private firms who may be able to adapt their existing plants to deal with kitchen waste that a further 30,000 tons per annum which it is possible to collect will be dried or semi-dried for use as a pig or poultry food.