§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the total volume of biodegradable matter that was composted in London in the current year; and what is his forecast of the figure for 2000. [5161]
§ Mr. Clappison[holding answer 25 November 1996]No information is currently held centrally on the amount of biodegradable matter that is composted in London. However, my Department is carrying out a new waste survey which, among other things, asks waste collection authorities to provide the Department with information on the amount of waste they collect for composting, and also what methods they operate towards encouraging home composting in their area. It is expected that the summary results of the first survey covering 1995–96 will be available around March next year.
In the Government's White Paper, "Making Waste Work: A Strategy for Sustainable Waste Management in England and Wales" published in 1995, we have set a target that 1 million tonnes of organic household waste should be composted per year by 2000.