---

Refuse Collection

I reiterate my compliments to the hon. Member for Milton Keynes, South-West (Dr. Starkey) and her Committee on putting together the report and at least considering the issue that we are debating. In addition to speaking for my party on local government issues, I am a member of the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and I dare say that in due course that Committee will examine waste issues in general. Perhaps the EFRA Committee will consider disposal issues to a greater extent than this report does, but it will inevitably inform any work that the Committee chooses to do, so it is very valuable from that point of view. I am also engaged in a fellowship with the Industry and Parliament Trust. Unlike other Members who may have had sexy assignments in different industries, I have been doing mine in the waste industry, but it has been fascinating working with the Waste Recycling Group of Northampton. I thank Mike Snell and all the other people at the company for giving me an induction into the culture of the waste industry. Every sector has its own language, history and culture, and it has been interesting getting to grips with some of the issues. The company focuses more on disposal than collection but, as we have heard from the hon. Member for Milton Keynes, South-West and my hon. Friend the Member for Southport (Dr. Pugh), the two are inextricably linked. Perhaps further research and work by the Government will explore ways in which that relationship can be made even more beneficial in terms of recycling rates and landfill diversion. The hon. Member for Milton Keynes, South-West focused on a number of key issues in the report and, through interventions, was drawn into other areas, too. Before I consider the report's recommendations and the Government's initial response last autumn, I note that some of the points that she raised are crucial; for example, we must recognise that municipal waste is only a tiny part of the total waste burden that we have to address. The last recommendation needs much more exploration with a view to the contribution that could be made to giving small and medium-sized enterprises a greater opportunity to recycle in a way that is affordable for them and accessible to them.