§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on proposed EU plans to prohibit the recycling of milk bottles. [9073]
§ Mr. MeacherWe are not aware of any such proposals.
The EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste 94/62/EC, as well as requiring certain recovery and recycling targets to be met, also encourages re-use of packaging. This includes drinks containers such as milk bottles. The UK Regulations implementing the Directive 414W also encourage re-use by allowing obligated businesses to exclude from the calculation of their tonnage recovery and recycling obligation, tonnages of packaging that are being re-used. Milk bottles are re-used for between 10 and 40 trips, so this provision will apply to the proportion of milk bottles that are being reused.
We expect a proposal from the European Commission next month for revised targets in 2006. A further review may also address, among other things, ways of further encouraging re-use of packaging. We are not aware that the proposed revisions will in any way threaten the UK doorstep milk delivery service.