Lord Bownessasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they anticipate that specialist plans will be available to local authorities to deal with the CFC-containing foam in the insulation of waste refrigerators and freezers. [HL2414]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)Guidance for dealing with fridges was issued to local authorities in December. Waste fridges may be exported for treatment in other member states, disposed of via high temperature incineration or stored pending treatment in the UK. Next month officials will meet with representatives of local authorities and companies offering disposal services for fridges to raise awareness of the disposal routes available.
We anticipate that a specialist plant for dealing with CFC-containing foam in fridges will be operational in the UK by spring.
Lord Bownessasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the cost of disposing of waste refrigerators and freezers between now and 2004, when the manufacturers assume their legal liability to meet the cost of disposal. [HL2415]
§ Lord WhittyI understand that the current charges levied by waste management companies for the transport, handling, storage and processing of fridges are in the range of £22 to £35 per unit. However, these costs are likely to fall once more plants are operational and the market more competitive.
Lord Bownessasked Her Majesty's Government:
How much they have allocated to local authorities to store waste refrigerators and freezers until they have the means to dispose of them; and whether they will make any additional payments. [HL2416]
§ Lord Whitty£6 million has been added to the provisional local government finance settlement for 2002–03 to cover the costs of implementing the ozone depleting substances regulation relating to the period 1 January 2002 to 31 March 2002. We are continuing to assess the impacts of the regulation and will determine what further action is required beyond that.
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