§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what consultation his Department proposes to hold on new controls for the disposal to landspreading of waste paper sludge; and if he will make a statement. [60675]
§ Mr. MealeThe landspreading of waste paper sludge is mostly carried out, as a waste recovery operation, under the terms of the exemption from waste management licensing in paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 to the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. We have given a commitment to review this exemption in the light of research carried out to develop further the criteria that determine in what circumstances the landspreading of waste benefits agriculture or results in ecological improvement. Copies of the research report on the "Investigation Of The Criteria For, And Guidance On, The Landspreading Of Industrial Waste" have been placed in the library of the House.
The present position is that the Environment Agency is considering the project's findings and aims to make its recommendations to us shortly. Following receipt and consideration of the Agency's recommendations we intend to carry out a public consultation exercise on the revision of the landspreading controls in the 1994 Regulations.