§ 63. Mr. EvennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the Government's target for recycling; and what steps it is taking towards meeting it.
§ 50. Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about Government measures to assist and promote post collection and sorting of refuse into recyclable material.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe Government have set a target to recycle 50 per cent. of recyclable household waste by the year 2000. To achieve this we are proposing to provide, through the provisions of the Environmental Protection Bill, the right waste management framework to promote recycling. The provisions include: stricter controls on waste disposal by landfill and other means which will increase their costs and make recycling more attractive; requiring all local authorities involved in waste collection and disposal to give priority to recycling, wherever practicable, in their plans; allow authorities to 249W specify environmentally favourable options for waste disposal, such as recycling, even if they are not the cheapest in financial terms: permit collection authorities to arrange for the recyclng of all waste that they have collected, unless the disposal authority has an existing recycling contract for it; and require waste disposal authorities to pass to collection authorities the savings that accrue because refuse has been recycled rather than passed to them for disposal.
Joint Department of Trade and Industry and Department of the Environment expert groups have been examining market failures related to the recycling of post consumer waste and exploring ways to increase recycling in the future. We intend to incorporate their findings in the forthcoming White Paper on the environment.
The Government are working with local authorities to develop projects like recycling city in Sheffield and Cardiff where new methods of collecting and processing recyclables are being tried and which can, when fully evaluated, be used as models for future practice. We shall be providing comprehensive advice to local authorities to assist them in the production of recycling plans and the development of recycling projects. Advice will also be given to the public to explain the vital role they will have to enable their waste to be recycled.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will be continuing to hold discussions with manufacturing industry to encourage it to develop products that can be easily identified and collected for recycling.