§ Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department has made to the Department of Trade and Industry regarding the UK's submissions to the EU discussions and decision-making process on the packaging waste recycling targets under the new Packaging Waste Directive. [91497]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Department has been in close contact with the Department of Trade and Industry throughout the discussions of the draft Directive to ensure that environmental considerations are fully taken into account in arriving at an agreed Government line. Officials from DEFRA attend meetings in Brussels along with representatives from the DTI.
§ Dr. MurrisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans she has for promoting the use of old tyres as a surfacing material; [91846]
(2) what targets she has set for the recycling and retreading of tyres. [91848]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Government are supporting a number of end-use studies for used tyres, including the incorporation of tyre granulate in road surfaces.
The EC Landfill Directive, in banning the disposal of almost all tyres to landfill, effectively sets a 100 per cent. recovery requirement. Within that overall recovery requirement, there are no individual targets for the recycling and retreading of tyres, and the Government have no present plans for introducing such targets. Figures for 2001 show that value was recovered from over 60 per cent. of the estimated 480,000 tonnes of tyres disposed of in the UK that year. Significant additional recovery capacity has since been brought forward and is anticipated to be taken up as the landfill directive requirements bear down.
The Government in partnership with the tyre industry through the Used Tyre Working Group (UTWG) are investigating alternative disposal, recycling and recovery options for those tyres displaced from landfill with the aim of ensuring that sufficient capacity is available to handle those tyres.