§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent he is encouraging the waste disposal industry to incinerate waste rather than to landfill.
§ Mr. MacleanBoth landfill and incineration have important roles to play as methods of waste disposal. What is appropriate in any area will depend on the particular circumstances, and type of waste to be disposed of. The Secretary of State is currently drawing up a planning policy guidance note on planning and pollution control, which will give advice to local authorities on the criteria they should apply in considering planning applications for waste disposal facilities, and in drawing up their development plans.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made towards achieving the Government's targets for recycling of household waste; and how these targets will be affected by current EC proposals.
§ Mr. MacleanSince the Government set their target of recycling half of all recyclable household waste by the year 2000, we have introduced a range of measures to promote recycling, including a requirement on waste collection authorities to produce recycling plans; and the introduction of the recycling credits scheme on 1 April this year. There has been progress in a number of materials sectors, including the following.
Aluminium can recycling has increased from 5 per cent. in 1990 to 11 per cent in 1991; the industry has set itself a target of recycling 50 per cent of aluminium cans by 1995.
The number of glass banks has increased from 5,800 in 1990 to 7,155 in 1991; the industry has set itself a target of 10,000 banks by 1995.
The number of save-a-can banks—which accept steel and aluminium cans—has increased from 200 in 1990 to about 625 in 1991; the industry has set a target of 1,000 save-a-can banks by 1994.
As part of an agreement with the Government, the newspaper publishers recently published figures showing that 27 per cent. of newsprint used in their publications in 1990 was made from waste paper. Figures for 1991 are not yet available. The publishers have agreed to a target of 40 per cent. recycled newsprint by the year 2000.
The Government are developing a national household waste analysis project, the first results of which will be available later this year. Together with a new survey of local authority waste collection and disposal practices being produced by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, that should provide more precise information to measure progress towards the Government's target.
The European Commission has not yet finalised its proposal for a directive on packaging and packaging waste. It is therefore premature to speculate on the relationship between this or other measures and the Government's recycling target.
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§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the final report of the study commissioned by his Department and the DTI on economic instruments to encourage the recovery of resources from waste; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanMy Department and the Department of Trade and Industry have commissioned a study of economic instruments to inform the development of our policy on the recovery of resources from waste. The study has been commissioned because the Government believe that environmental policies should be soundly based, making use of the best available information. A draft of the final report is expected shortly.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the Government's target for energy recovery from used packaging.
§ Mr. MacleanThe Government have no plans to introduce a target for energy recovery specifically from used packaging.
The Government are considering a range of possible targets for energy recovery from household waste. Decisions on them will be taken in the context of the Government's wider review of their renewable energy strategy.