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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will introduce recycling targets for local authorities to cover (a) the recycling of commercial waste and (b) home composting; and if she will make a statement. [202179] Mr. Morley: Local authorities are only required by section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to collect commercial waste if they are requested to do so by the producer of the waste. At present, those producing commercial waste can arrange for its collection with either a local authority or a suitably licensed private waste management firm. A statutory duty to collect commercial waste would have to be placed on local authorities if a recycling target for the collection of commercial waste were to be set for them. We have no plans to introduce such a duty and so have no plans to introduce recycling targets for local authorities to cover the recycling of commercial waste. There is as yet no auditable methodology for determining how much waste is treated through home composting. But the Environment Agency and the Waste and Resources Action Programme are currently working to develop more robust techniques for using operational statistics to assess the diversion effects of home composting. If an auditable methodology is developed we will consider including home composting within existing composting targets.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

202179; 428 c809-10W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Compost Domestic waste Local government Recycling Standards Waste disposal

Link

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