§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made on the review of the definition of wood recovery in respect of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 from 1 January 2000. [87683]
§ Mr. MealeFrom 1 January 2000, wood packaging—including pallets and tea chests—will be covered by the Regulations. Obligated businesses will be required to recover a specified amount of wood packaging based on the quantity which they handled in the preceding year. There is no separate recycling obligation for wood.
The Environment Agency is currently considering the types of activity which may be regarded as 'recovery' in respect of wood packaging. It is anticipated that from 1 January 2000, a number of wood reprocessors will be accredited by the Agency and be able to issue Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRNs) as evidence of recovery.
The Environment Agency is working with the Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation (TIMCON) to establish the weight of wood packaging, providing an average figure for each of the common pallet types. Such agreement is necessary because of the moisture content of a pallet varies throughout its life sometimes by as much as 50 per cent. An agreement on weights will help to make the Regulations easier to work with for obligated businesses and regulators alike. It is anticipated that a protocol will be agreed during the summer.