§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the(a) costs and (b) benefits of plastics recycling; what plans she has to encourage plastics recycling; and if she will make a statement. [101343]
§ Mr. MeacherNo assessments have been made of the costs or benefit of plastics recycling.
Our highest priority is to increase recycling and composting rates for biodegradable waste (i) to meet the Landfill Directive targets and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated when biodegradable waste is landfilled, (ii) because biodegradable waste comprises 53 per cent. by weight of the waste fraction and (iii) because at present, the economics of plastics recycling are much more difficult.
We do, however, take plastics recycling seriously, and as local authorities have to meet increasingly demanding recycling targets, they will have to start tackling the more difficult waste streams, including plastics.
Under the 1997 Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended), obligated businesses which handle plastic must recover or recycle a designated amount of plastic each year. This has led to a substantial amount of plastic packaging waste being recycled and the quantity is expected to increase further, partly as a result of revisions to the European directive on packaging waste, which are currently being negotiated.
The amount of plastic packaging waste being recovered and recycled has increased significantly in recent years from 125,539 tonnes in 1998 to 269,962 tonnes in 2001. The revised directive is expected to set challenging targets which will require the provision of new infrastructure. Revenue from the Packaging Waste 150W Recycling Notes (provided for under the UK packaging and waste regulations), which amounted to £70 million in 2001, can be used as a mechanism for directing money towards investment in the collection and recovery infrastructure and the development of end use markets for recyclate.