§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the viability of enforcing greater use of(a) biodegradable plastic bottles and (b) plastic bottles which can be crushed down once empty. [86022]
§ Mr. MeacherSubstitutes for plastic made from potato starch have been developed and are being used for some types of packaging by some retailers. Such material is entirely biodegradable and can be composted.
A number of companies are marketing degradable plastics technology and products manufactured from these materials. These new materials are based on modified plastics manufactured from mineral oil and still have to be sent for recycling after use. We do strongly support the development of biodegradable plastics made from non-fossil sources, providing these will actually be composted and not sent to landfill.
Plastic bottles which can be crushed down once empty are useful, particularly in terms of saving space in household bins. We are looking at ways to encourage this.