§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is currently taking to establish new markets for recycled materials.
§ Mr. YeoThe Government are encouraging the development of new markets by providing industry with an incentive to make greater use of recycled materials. Our producer responsibility initiative, launched in July, provides such an incentive by, for example, giving industry the responsibility for meeting targets for the recovery of packaging waste and bearing the costs of meeting those targets. We have made it clear that the industry's plan, which we expect to receive shortly, must include a willingness to increase demand for recycled material where it meets the appropriate standards.
The Government are also encouraging the development of new markets for recycled materials through the environmental technology innovation scheme, run jointly by my Department and the Department of Trade and Industry, and the DTI's environmental management options scheme and Euroenviron scheme. Grants awarded under these schemes include £835,120 to Anaplast to develop innovative technology for recycling mixed plastics and another of £638,218 to Bird Commercial Metals for a project which examines the potential markets for materials recovered from scrapped vehicles.