Written question asked by Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 July 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 1 September 2003. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Monday, 1 September 2003 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what percentage of landfill sites will be full by 2010; and what alternative methods of disposal will be used once waste landfill sites are filled. - Including ref to Strategy Unit Report, Waste Not Want Not.

Answer: Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of landfill sites will be full by 2010; and what alternative methods of disposal will be used once waste landfill sites are filled. [125573] Mr. Morley: The Government is committed to reducing the UK's reliance on landfill, which makes little practical use of waste and is a missed opportunity to recover value from waste. The landfilling of waste sits at the bottom of the waste hierarchy and in Waste Strategy 2000 and its subsequent response to the Strategy Unit Report "Waste Not Want Not" Government has set out a range of policies to promote the reduction, re-use, recycling and recovery of waste in order to divert it from landfill. The demand for landfill in 2010 and the availability of landfill sites to deal with that demand is therefore impossible to predict, although the impact of Government policies, including the targets in the proposed Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme should result in lower demand.

Secondary information