§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Seccretary of State for the Environment what discussions his Department has had during the last six months with bottle and can manufacturers to encourage them to produce returnable bottles and cans, rather than disposable ones.
§ Mr. CryerI have been asked to reply.
A working party of the Waste Management Advisory Council, on which the bottle and can manufacturers are represented, is at present studying the problem of returnable and non—returnable containers. The purpose of the study is to examine the economic and environmental impacts of returnable and non returnable systems and to consider whether there are grounds for encouraging the development of one system at the expense of the other. The working party, which also includes representatives of retail, consumer and environmental interests, is due to report at the beginning of next year. I shall then consider, in the light of the council's recommendations, what action should be taken.