§ Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
What levels of waste recycling have been achieved in each local authority; what targets they have set these authorities for the future; and how, in detail, they define "waste" and "recycling" in relation to this. [HL2250]
§ Lord WhittyThe latest data available (for 1999–2000) on the percentage of household waste recycled in each waste collection and waste disposal authority are available in the Library of the House. This table also gives the statutory performance standards for 2003–04 and 2005–06 for the recycling and composting of household waste for each authority.
Data for 2000–01 are currently being collated from local authorities.
These percentages and standards relate to household waste. This is defined as all waste collected by waste collection authorities under Section 45(1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, plus all waste arising from civic amenity sites, and waste collected by third parties for which collection or disposal recycling credits are payable under Section 52 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
"Recycled" means reprocessed in a production process for the original purpose, or for other purposes, but excluding energy recovery.
"Composted" means the controlled biological decomposition and stabilisation of organic substrates, under conditions that are predominantly aerobic and that allow the development of thermophilic temperatures as a result of biologically produced heat. This includes composting undertaken at a central or community composting facility. Home composting is not included. The tonnage to be used in calculation is the material sent for composting to these facilities.
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§ Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether building waste and composting of garden waste are components of the recycling target; and, if not, why not. [HL2251]
§ Lord WhittyStatutory performance standards for recycling and composting by local authorities, set under the best value regime, relate to household waste, and therefore building waste and other non-household waste is not included. However, the Government'sWaste Strategy 2000 set a separate target of reducing, by 2005, the amount of industrial and commercial waste sent to landfill to 85 per cent of that landfilled in 1998 to encourage businesses to reduce waste.
Garden waste is included in the calculation of the recycling/composting target if it is composted at a central or community composting facility. Home composting is not included as it is not collected by the collection authority and the amounts of waste composted are therefore very difficult to determine.
§ Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
What quantity of composted recycled garden waste they expect to be generated annually by local authorities over the next five years; and what is the current market for such material. [HL2253]
§ Lord WhittyFigures from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey show there have been substantial increases in the amount of household waste collected for composting by local authorities in England and Wales: from 462,000 tonnes in 1998–99 to 670,000 tonnes in 1999–2000. Local authorities have statutory performance targets which require them to double the overall recycling and composting rate by 2003–04 and treble it by 2005–06.
The Composting Association estimates that the potential market for compost is in excess of 20 million tonnes per annum, with significant potential in the agriculture sector.