HC Deb 28 February 2000 vol 345 c17W
Mr. Crausby

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of documentation used by his Department is(a) made from recycled paper and (b) collected for recycling. [111612]

Mr. Morley

(a) Current estimates are that around 10 per cent. of documentation used by the Ministry is made from recycled paper. Procurement staff and environmental managers are looking to increase this percentage substantially subject to performance, cost and supply availability considerations. The Ministry's Greening Operations Strategy includes objectives to use recycled paper comprising genuine post-consumer waste.

(b) This information is not recorded. The Ministry's approach to waste management is set out in its Greening Operations Strategy and is based on the three "Rs", with "Recovery" (ie recycling, composting and energy recovery) following "Reduce" and "Re-use" as the preferred options for reducing waste sent to landfill. Schemes to recover waste paper are in place at over 95 per cent. of the Ministry's (including its Executive Agencies') key sites (those where there are over 50 staff) covering approximately 95 per cent. of staff.