§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many paper recycling plants there are operating in the United Kingdom currently; what are their respective capacities; and how much recycled paper they produce.
§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley[holding answer 12 May 1989]: I understand that there are 54 mills in the United Kingdom (approximately half of all the paper and board mills in the country) that use waste paper. In 1988 they consumed a total of 2.4 million tonnes of waste paper and 188W produced an estimated 2.1 million tonnes of paper made wholly or partly from waste paper. Details of their respective capacities or production are not available.
§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to encourage the recycling of paper and the use of recycled paper.
§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley[holding answer 12 May 1989]: The Department has shown the way by phasing in the use of recycled paper for correspondence since 1984; other Departments are doing the same.
We are also co-operating in the current series of seminars organised by the Department of Trade and Industry aimed at raising awareness of the growing demand for waste paper as a raw material for newsprint production.
My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary for Trade and Industry has responsibility for co-ordinating Government policy on recycling. I and other colleagues work closely with him to promote recycling whenever it is an economically viable method of waste disposal.