§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he proposes to take to promote greater recycling of pvc. [44807]
§ Angela EagleThe Government are committed to an increased level of recycling, including that of PVC. We are currently reviewing our national waste strategy, which is aimed at reducing the amount of waste produced and ensuring the environmentally sound management of those wastes. Plastic waste will be covered under the new strategy.
32WWe have held discussions with a number of organisations involved in plastics recycling to ascertain what further measures can be taken by both industry and Government to increase recycling.
The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 aim to double the amount of packaging waste (including plastics) recovered to around 50 per cent. by 2001. While the Regulations set no specific targets for the recycling of plastics, in 1996 over 10,000 tonnes of post-use PVC was recycled in the UK.
In addition, there is a significant amount of work being undertaken in a number of sectors to promote the recycling of products containing PVC, for example cable sheathing and insulation, plastic bottles, computer parts, and supermarket display trays.