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Dept for Work and Pensions

Answer

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of waste produced in his Department was (a) recycled, (b) composted, and (c) re-used, broken down into (i) paper, (ii) plastics, (iii) aluminium cans and (iv) other in each year since 1997; what plans there are to increase these proportions; and if he will make a statement. [65699] Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. In 2001, the former Department of Social Security produced 24,000 tonnes of waste, of which 37 per cent. was recycled. The vast majority of recycled waste was paper. No waste was composted. Details are not available prior to 2001. For 2002, figures show that paper recycling has risen to 55 per cent. of the total waste produced, amounting to 16,172 tonnes. We plan to extend our paper-recycling scheme across the whole Department in the coming year. Redundant office furniture is recycled by DWP's estates partners wherever possible. Metal components are reused and desktops are pulped and recycled where possible. Volume figures are not available for this. Surplus IT equipment is refurbished and reused wherever possible. This is facilitated by the Disposal Service Agency, and the refurbished equipment is then distributed through the Computers Within Reach initiative. DWP as a whole does not currently separate plastics and aluminium cans from the general waste stream, although local schemes to recycle waste are encouraged and are in place at a number of locations. We plan to examine the potential for a national scheme to recycle these waste streams. In addition to the recycling initiatives in place, staff are also actively encouraged to reduce the amount of waste that they generate.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

389 c1023-4W;389 c1023W; 65699

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Department for Work and Pensions Compost Government departments Recycling Paper Plastics Waste disposal Waste Aluminium

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk