§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what impact the landfill tax has had on reducing the proportion of total waste which is disposed of through landfill sites; and what proportion of United Kingdom waste has been recycled in each of the last 10 years. [83623]
§ Mr. Meale[holding answer 11 May 1999]: The information currently available suggests that the landfill tax has reduced the quantity of material going to licensed landfill sites, particularly construction and demolition waste. There is little statistical information at this stage to support any conclusions as to the extent to which this results from a reduction in the amount of waste generated as opposed to being diverted to different outlets.
The data available for municipal waste only are as follows:
Municipal waste recycling rate Percentage Year England and Wales Scotland Northern Ireland 1998 18 2— 2— 1997 17 2— 3.4 1996 6.5 no data no data 1995 no data no data no data 1994 no data 0.64 no data 1993 no data 0.66 no data 1992 no data 0.68 no data 1991 no data 0.61 no data 1990 no data 0.63 no data 1989 no data no data no data 1Data still to be fully verified 2Data still to be collected or processed