§ Mr. JanmanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will estimate the cost of establishing a source separation infrastructure throughout England and Wales and the percentage of that cost which would be met by(a) the public purse and (b) the private sector;
(2) if his Department has made an assessment of the cost of establishing source separation infrastructure and of how much of that cost will be met from (a) the public purse and (b) market co-operation, excluding any public body, grant, financial credit or other indirect support;
260W(3) if he will make it his policy to allow an increase in expenditure by local authorities to cover the costs of source separation;
(4) if his Department has made an assessment of mechanised separation of domestic waste and the contribution it could make towards reaching the Government's target of 50 per cent. domestic waste recycling by the year 2000; and if he will make a statement;
(5) for how long he estimates local authorities will be able to sustain source separation without legislation;
(6) if his Department has made any assessment of the source separation of domestic waste as opposed to mechanised separation in terms of (a) cost, (b) efficiency and (c) substitutability;
(7) what assessment he has made as to whether source separation of domestic waste, prior to recycling, is the most efficient and market oriented means of collection arid reclamation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. TrippierIssues of collecting and sorting domestic waste with a view to recycling have been addressed by the advisory group on recycling jointly run by my Department and the Department of Trade and Industry. We are conducting further surveys and research into various aspects of source separation, mechanised separation and recycling. The results of this work are being assessed and will be reflected in the forthcoming White Paper on the Environment which may include proposals for any further legislation and financial measures that are necessary.
§ Mr. JanmanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he will take to ensure that the Government's target of recycling 50 per cent. of domestic refuse by the year 2000 will be achieved.
§ Mr. TrippierThe 50 per cent. target will be achieved by a combination of measures, including the provisions of the Environmental Protection Bill which will require action by local authorities to promote recycling and enable the true cost of alternative methods of waste disposal to be identified. We also intend to being forward provisions to enable incentives in the form of recycling credits to be received by those directly responsible for promoting recycling. In addition we are evaluating the outcome of the expert advisory group on recycling with a view to stimulating the market for recycled materials.