HC Deb 12 March 2004 vol 418 cc1757-8W
Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with local authorities regarding local authority charging for waste collection and disposal. [159037]

Mr. Morley

In its response to the Strategy Unit report, the Government undertook to carry out further work before making a decision on whether to enable local authorities to implement direct or variable charging for waste collection and disposal. Officials have met representatives of local authorities and the Local Government Association as part of this work.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to demonstrate to local authorities the potential benefits of(a) increasing recycling and (b) reducing waste. [159004]

Mr. Morley

The Government's Waste Strategy 2000 set out a vision of sustainable waste management incorporating a shift away from reliance on landfill and towards waste reduction, re-use and recycling. In doing so, it explored the environmental, economic and social benefits arising from such a shift. The Strategy Unit's 2001 report, Waste not, want not, reiterated these arguments.

Part of the role of Defra's Waste Implementation Programme is to ensure that local authorities understand the benefits of more sustainable waste management. This is being pursued on an individual basis with local authorities, through regional conferences, and via the programme's national messages.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how her Department disseminates best practice in sustainable waste management to local authorities. [159005]

Mr. Morley

The Defra Waste Implementation Programme's Local Authority Support Unit has been established to provide advice and a range of tools to enable local authorities to meet and, where possible, exceed their statutory targets.

The Unit has already identified a number of areas where local authorities need additional support. In response the Unit is producing a range of tools, case studies and best practice.

These will cover such areas as contract development and service procurement, strategy development, collection of bulky goods, estates recycling, kerbside capture rates and best recycling and re-use practice at civic amenity sites.

These and other tools and services developed in response to local authority needs will be disseminated through a dedicated local authority support website for waste recycling activities, to be launched in May 2004.

Tools and support will also be targeted specifically to individual local authorities which will most benefit from assistance.