Written question asked by Baroness Hoey (Labour) on Monday, 4 April 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 April 2005. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour) on Thursday, 7 April 2005 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

Northern Ireland Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what alternatives to landfill for waste disposal are available in Northern Ireland.

Answer: Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what alternatives to landfill for waste disposal are available in Northern Ireland. [224869] Angela Smith: In the Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy, the waste management hierarchy gives top priority to prevention and second priority to recovery--with a preference for re-use and material recovery insofar as they are the best environmental options. Disposal of waste is very much a last option. Landfill is the only disposal option currently available in Northern Ireland. However, the recent "Best Practicable Environmental Option" exercise to identify waste management solutions for Northern Ireland highlighted the need for thermal treatment by 2013. In addition, a range of other physical treatment options to recover and reuse material have been identified as an alternative to disposal. District councils continue to work towards increased recycling, and the Department of the Environment supports them in their roll-out of separate kerbside collections of recyclable and compostable material, thereby reducing the quantity of waste going for disposal.

Secondary information