§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his policy is on the recycling of plastic; and what discussions he has had with local authorities in England and Wales on initiatives undertaken by them. [69067]
§ Mr. MealeWe believe that recycling is critical to the task of making our waste management more environmentally acceptable and are committed to seeing a substantial increase in the role that recycling plays. It makes sense to recycle waste if this is the Best Practicable Environmental Option (for example in some cases the amount of energy needed to collect, transport and process materials for recycling, and the associated air emissions, are greater than those required for virgin material production).
It is of course for individual local authorities to consider whether recycling of a particular material is a viable option, economically or on environmental grounds, within their particular district. Factors which will need to be considered in the recycling of plastic are, for example, the economic and environmental costs of transporting a large volume, lightweight material, of sorting the various polymer types and of washing the material which is very often contaminated by the food and drink it has contained.
My officials discussed recycling, including of plastics, with local authorities for a recent Good Practice Guide, and in the Market Development Group which has been set up to consider and identify the barriers to expanding the markets for recycled materials and to develop practical proposals to overcome them.