§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many tonnes of(a) domestic litter and (b) industrial waste were legally disposed of for each of the last five years in (i) the United Kingdom, by region and (ii) Basildon;
(2) if he will estimate how many tonnes of (a) domestic litter and (b) industrial waste were illegally disposed of in each of the last five years in (i) the United Kingdom, by region and (ii) Basildon;
(3) what was the total cost to (a) taxpayers and (b) ratepayers of the disposal of (i) domestic litter and (ii) industrial waste for each of the last five years in (x) the United Kingdom, by region and (y) Basildon;
(4) how many tonnes of (a) biodegradable and (b) non-biodegradable waste were (i) legally and (ii) illegally disposed of for each of the last five years in the United Kingdom, by region, and in Basildon;
(5) if he will list the various methods by which (a) domestic litter and (b) industrial waste are disposed of; if he will list the total number of tonnes disposed of by each method for each of the last five years in the United Kingdom, by region, and in Basildon; and if he will express the total for each method as a percentage of the overall total;
(6) how many tonnes of (a) industrial waste and (b) domestic litter were disposed of other than in seas or rivers in the United Kingdom, by region, and in Basildon, for each of the last five years;
647W(7) how many tonnes of (a) biodegradable and (b) non-biodegradable waste were disposed other than in seas and rivers in the United Kingdom, by region, and in Basildon, for each of the last five years.
§ Mr. MoynihanResponsibility for the regulation of waste disposal lies with waste disposal authorities. Statistics on the amounts of waste disposed of by the authorities or by the private sector under licence, and the costs to local authorities, are not collected centrally.
The two major methods of disposal of domestic and industrial waste are incineration and landfill, with or without prior treatment. It is estimated that about 100 million tonnes of controlled waste is generated in England and Wales annually. Of this 50 million tonnes is industrial waste, 28 million tonnes is domestic and commercial and the remainder is ash, slag and building waste. Within this total, about 1.5 million tonnes is defined as special waste under the Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations 1980 as being dangerous or difficult to dispose of.
Industrial waste is disposed of almost entirely by the private sector and the costs are borne by the industry generating the waste.
Approximately 10 per cent. of the domestic and commercial waste collected by local authorities is incinerated; the rest is landfilled.
No valid estimates are available of the volume of waste disposed of illegally throughout the country but the London Waste Regulatory Authority estimates that about 1 million tonnes are dumped in the London area at any one time.
§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many tonnes of(a) domestic litter and (b) industrial waste were disposed of in the sea or in rivers for each of the last five years in the United Kingdom, by region, and in Basildon; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many tonnes of (a) biodegradable and (b) non-biodegradable waste were disposed of in the sea or in rivers for each of the last five years in the United Kingdom, by region, and in Basildon.
§ Mr. MoynihanWaste disposal at sea is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Quantities and types of waste disposed of in United Kingdom sea areas from 1981–85, the last five years for which published figures are available, are given in the 8th-12 annual reports of the Oslo commission, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Data for 1986 will be available shortly. Wastes are normally licensed for disposal at sea only if they are biodegradable or inert and non-toxic. Discharges of waste to internal waters is a matter for water authorities and figures are not kept centrally.