§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the proportion of junk mail which can be recycled; what estimate she has made of the proportion of paper waste represented by junk mail in the last year for which figures are available; and what steps the Government are taking to reduce the volume of junk mail. [131104]
§ Mr. MorleyBetween 500,000 and 600,000 tonnes of paper was used in direct mail and promotions in the UK in 2002. In terms of total tonnage, this is a relatively small proportion of the overall paper waste stream. For example, the paper packaging waste flowing into the waste stream in 2002 was 3.7 million tonnes. However, junk mail is largely disposed of in the household waste and it should be possible to collect much of this paper for recycling.
The current level of recycling of junk mail is estimated to be some 13 per cent. We have, therefore, recently agreed a voluntary producer responsibility scheme with the industry to increase recycling of junk mail. Under this Agreement, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has undertaken to meet specific targets for the recycling of junk mail in the UK. The targets are:
- 30 per cent. by the end of 2005;
- 55 per cent. by the end of 2009; and
- 70 per cent. by the end of 2013.
The Agreement also requires the DMA and its members to continue to contribute to waste minimization by improving the targeting of distribution of direct mail and by making full use of, and publicizing, available services that allow householders to opt out of being sent direct mail, such as the Mailing Preference Service.
We believe that this Agreement will both increase the recycling of junk mail and reduce the amount of direct mail sent to homes.