§ Mr. SpellerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he intends to take to encourage the use for foodstuffs of which are disposable and recyclable.
§ Mr. LeighI have been asked to reply.
The Government have set the challenging target of recycling 25 per cent. of the domestic waste stream—which includes packaging materials for foodstuffs—by the year 2000. Achieving this aim requires the existence of technologies to use recyclable material, and markets for the resulting products. The Government are addressing these elements through the support that they are providing to business-led collaborative projects under their environmental technology programmes. Many such projects feature the recycling of packaging.
The Government are also monitoring eight kerbside collection schemes the results of which will help to promote and establish best practice and will encourage the take-up of such schemes.