HC Deb 11 March 2004 vol 418 cc1621-4W
22. Kevin Brennan

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the future provision of sites for the disposal of hazardous waste. [160300]

Mr. Morley

The Government recognise that implementation of the Landfill Directive will have a significant impact on the disposal of hazardous waste. In particular the ending of co-disposal from 16 July 2004 will lead to a reduction in the number of landfill sites taking hazardous waste. Coupled with the requirements for treatment of hazardous waste prior to landfill, this will lead to better management of hazardous waste and more incentive on producers to minimise the amount of waste produced.

Mr. Drew

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support she plans to give to Challenge Fund proposals with regard to waste disposal; and if she will make a statement. 156388]

Mr. Morley

The Waste Implementation Programme (WIP) has been established to help push England's waste management practices up the waste hierarchy, and specifically to divert increasing amounts of waste away from landfill. Properly known as the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund, the Challenge Fund is managed by WIP and does not provide funding for final disposal facilities. Rather, it provides local authorities with opportunities to pursue schemes that reduce the volume of the household waste stream, and to increase the amount of household waste recycled and composted. From 2005–06, the Challenge Fund will be replaced by a new Waste Management Performance Reward Grant, and Defra is currently consulting on its proposals for the design of this grant.

It is recognised that final disposal will remain an important element in local authorities' waste management plans. This need is addressed through the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block funding, which covers waste management among other local authority services. In addition, WIP is managing £355 million of waste PFI credits over the three-year period to 2006, providing the necessary investment in large-scale waste management facilities. WIP's New Technologies work stream is also promoting investment in near-market technologies that will encourage more sustainable ways of disposing of waste.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much hazardous waste can be(a) delivered and (b) deposited in each month from 16 July at landfill sites that have applied to take only hazardous waste from 16 July. [156411]

Mr. Morley

The Environment Agency is undertaking a permitting exercise for sites proposing to take hazardous waste after 16 July 2004. Latest information available indicates that, if all the permits were issued, the monthly capacity from 16 July 2004 would be approximately 95,000 tonnes (derived from expected annual inputs). This figure is for those sites accepting hazardous waste on a "merchant" basis. The amounts delivered would equate to those deposited.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many businesses produced hazardous waste in(a) 2002 and (b) 2003; and what estimate she has made of the number of busin esses producing hazardous waste in each year from 2004 to 2008. [156421]

Mr. Morley

Data on this for the years 2002 and 2003 are not yet available. The average number of active special waste producers over previous years (1999 to 2001) was 100,000.

The number of active producers of hazardous waste is expected to rise to 750,000 when the revised European hazardous waste list is fully implemented.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what(a) tonnage and (b) proportion of hazardous waste will require treatment from 16 July; and what the capacity of existing waste treatment infrastructure is. [156422]

Mr. Morley

The tonnage requiring treatment will depend on a number of factors, not least the amount arising. In 2002, some 5 million tonnes of special waste was consigned, and 47 per cent. was specifically consigned to treatment facilities (including recycling and reuse), 39 per cent. to landfill and 4 per cent. to incineration.

From 16 July 2004, all hazardous waste sent for disposal at a landfill will require some form of pre-treatment, unless this is of no practical benefit towards meeting the aims of the Landfill Directive. For hazardous waste, the Government believe that treatments are available that will reduce the mass to be landfilled, as well as the hazards to human health and/or the environment. Any decision that treatments are not available can only be made following a thorough evaluation of the treatment options.

Estimates on available capacity of existing hazardous waste treatment infrastructure were prepared for the Hazardous Waste Forum in September 2003 and posted on the forum's website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/hazforum/031021/enviros.pdf

The forum continues to keep this information under review as it becomes aware of changes to waste industry plans.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy that there should be no stockpiles of hazardous waste from 16 July. [156424]

Mr. Morley

It is Government policy to ensure as smooth a transition as possible of the implementation of the requirements of the Landfill Directive, in particular the ending of the practice of co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste in the same cell from 16 July, and to that end to avoid the need for storage of hazardous waste over and above that which normally occurs.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which hazardous waste streams she has identified as the most problematic to treat and manage after 16 July; and what steps she has taken to ensure the safe management of these waste streams. [156426]

Mr. Morley

The Government have taken the advice from hazardous waste stakeholders through the Hazardous Waste Forum to identify the following waste streams which warrant particular attention.

  • Construction and demolition
  • Contaminated soils
  • Air pollution controls residues
  • Waste oils
  • Wastes from non-ferrous metals industry
  • Filter cakes from waste treatment

The task force on treatment and capacity is investigating in more detail these waste streams, and has set up two work streams paying particular attention to construction and demolition wastes (including contaminated soils) and waste oils. The task force is assessing the arisings and alternative capacity available, communicating the issues to the industries concerned, and looking at environmentally sound methods of managing the wastes.

In addition, the Environment Agency are identifying the top five waste streams per region, based on potential risk to the environment (quantities and hazardousness) and public health. Cradle to grave audits on these waste streams will be carried out which will include taking targeted enforcement action when appropriate.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Environment Agency has spent in the last year for which figures are available on the(a) detection and (b) prosecution of illegal disposal of hazardous waste; and how much it proposes to spend on these activities in (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2004–05. [156428]

Mr. Morley

The agency spends in the order of £12 million annually on detection and prosecution of illegal waste activities including fly-tipping. Figures relating only to hazardous waste are not available. The amount that the agency spends is driven in part by the level of criminal activity. Between 2001 and 2002 the number of incidents the agency responded to increased by 19 per cent. across England and Wales. However, this masked a 73 per cent. increase in the number of incidents responded to in Thames region alone.

During 2003–04 additional funding has been made available for the development of "Flycapture", a national fly-tipping database, being set up by the Environment Agency. This will allow the collection and collation of summary data on fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the agency and local authorities.

The agency anticipates that its spend in this area will be in the order of £12 million during 2004–05. Spending in future years is subject to a spending review.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to alert small and medium enterprises to their obligations as producers of hazardous waste. [156430]

Mr. Morley

Guidance will be issued at least three months before the implementation of the new regulations for hazardous waste to explain the obligations to be placed on producers. The guidance will be available in both paper and electronic formats to ensure that it is accessible to small and medium sized enterprises and we will be liaising with the Small Business Service and Federation of Small Businesses to ensure that the guidance is both appropriate and helpful to those in such enterprises.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs what funding she has allocated for 2004–05 for a campaign to inform waste producers of their obligations under the Landfill Directive. [156434]

Mr. Morley

A strategy to inform waste producers of their obligations under the Landfill Directive is an integral part of the Hazardous Waste Forum's Action Plan, published in December 2003. This strategy will receive the necessary funding although no specific budget has been allocated to cover the Government's role in this work. Also, Defra officials will continue to present papers on Landfill Directive issues at industry seminars on waste disposal as part of their normal duties.

Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much hazardous waste was illegally dumped in(a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley in each of the last three years; and how many prosecutions resulted. [157262]

Mr. Morley

Responsibility for tackling illegal dumping and fly-tipping is shared between local authorities and the Environment Agency. Information on local authority incidents is not held centrally.

With regard to illegal special waste dumping, the Agency responded to 29 (2001), 54 (2002) and 62 (2003) incidents in Lancashire and of these 3 (2001), 1 (2002) and 0 (2003) were in the Chorley District.

Prosecutions, North West Region (Central Area): 2001–03

In the Environment Agency's North West Central Area as a whole (which includes Lancashire and Chorley) prosecutions taken were as follows: Under Section 33 1,(a) of the Environmental Prosecution Act 1990 (these may include Special Waste):

2001—11

Prosecutions under Regulation 5 (2) (a) of the Special Waste Regulations 1996

2002—1

Section 1, Control of Pollution (Amendment Act) 1989

2003—1