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15 Oct 2002 : Column 560W—continued
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Correspondence
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 11 September 2001 from the hon. Member for Torbay regarding foot and mouth. [58922]
Mr. Morley: I responded to the hon. Member on 7 October.
Recycling
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her latest estimate is of recycling rates of waste (a) paper, (b) glass, (c) metal, (d) wood and (e) cloth for each London borough; what the Government targets are in each case; and if she will make a statement. [71108]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 19 July 2002]: Recycling data are collected in the Department's annual Municipal Waste Management Survey 2000–01. The total tonnages collected for recycling for different materials are listed below for all London boroughs and the four London Waste Disposal Authorities. Recycling rates are not available for individual materials. Separate recycling tonnages are not available for wood.
The Government's Waste Strategy 2000 established national targets of recycling or composting at least 25 per cent. of household waste by 2005, 30 per cent. by 2010 and 33 per cent. by 2015. These targets are not material specific.
To underpin the national targets, we have set challenging statutory performance standards for recycling or composting household waste for each local authority in England. Authorities must, on average, double their 1998–99 recycling rate by 2003–04 and triple their 1998–99 rate by 2005–06.
The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended) set annual recovery and material-specific recycling targets for certain businesses. The material-specific recycling target of 19 per cent. set for 2002 covers paper, glass and aluminium.
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Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what figures she collates on the recycling rates for (a) car batteries, (b) alkaline batteries, (c) computers and (d) mobile phones in each London borough; what the figures were in each of the past five years; and what plans she has to increase recycling rates. [71109]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 19 July 2002]: Recycling data are collected in the Department's Municipal Waste Management Survey 2000–01. The total tonnages collected for recycling for batteries are listed below for all London boroughs and the four London Waste Disposal Authorities. Recycling rates are not available for individual materials. Recycling tonnages are not available for computers or mobile phones.
All local authorities have been set challenging individual statutory performance standards for recycling and composting. These can be found in the Government's Guidance on Municipal Waste Management Strategies, published in March 2001. Copies are available in the House of Commons Library and from the DEFRA website:
- http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/management/guidance/mwms/index.htm
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| tonnes | |
|---|---|
| Unitary Authorities | |
| Bexley | 46 |
| Bromley | 105 |
| City of Westminster | 0 |
| Corporation of London | 0 |
| Croydon | 0 |
| Greenwich | 34 |
| Kingston-upon-Thames | 55 |
| Lewisham | 0 |
| Merton | 0 |
| Southwark | 4 |
| Sutton | 4 |
| Tower Hamlets | 0 |
| Waste Collection Authorities | |
| Barking and Dagenham | 0 |
| Barnet | 0 |
| Brent | 0 |
| Camden | 20 |
| Ealing | 43 |
| Enfield | 42 |
| Hackney | 0 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 0 |
| Haringey | 0 |
| Harrow | 41 |
| Havering | 61 |
| Hillingdon | 0 |
| Hounslow | 17 |
| Islington | 0 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 0 |
| Lambeth | 10 |
| Newham | 23 |
| Redbridge | 312 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 0 |
| Waltham Forest | 37 |
| Wandsworth | 0 |
| Waste Disposal Authorities | |
| Western Riverside Waste Authority | 20 |
| East London Waste Authority | 0 |
| North London Waste Authority | 0 |
| West London Waste Authority | 0 |
Moorings (London)
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what forecasts have been made by British Waterways of the (a) number, (b) cost and (c) distribution of residential and non-residential moorings in London as a consequence of their review of licence and permit conditions. [70146]
Alun Michael: None. British Waterways' review of licence and permit conditions relates solely to vessel dimensions, the terms under which vessels may use the waterways and, where applicable, the terms and conditions of mooring.
I understand that my hon. Friend met British Waterways on 13 September to discuss these issues.
Sellafield
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what costs were incurred in (a) historic and (b) current prices in carrying out the monitoring of nuclear waste discharges to the Irish Sea from the Windscale plant. [69632]
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Mr. Meacher [holding answer 17 July 2002]: Monitoring of discharges is mainly the responsibility of the operator and so the majority of the costs of monitoring discharges from Windscale (which has been known as Sellafield since the early 1980s) would have fallen to BNFL and its predecessors. No information is held by the Department or by the Environment Agency about the costs of monitoring by operators.
Packaging Waste
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what her estimate is of the changes in packaging quantities on (a) food and (b) non-food goods on retail sale over the past five years; what proportion of this is recyclable; and if she will make a statement; [71113]
- (2) what plans she has to reduce packaging on retail sales; and if she will make a statement. [70941]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 19 July 2002]: The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended) include incentives for businesses to minimise the amount of packaging they use and actively encourage the reuse of packaging. Packaging which is being reused carries no obligation after its first obligated trip. By increasing the amount of packaging reused, producers are therefore able to reduce their costs of compliance. By placing a tonnage obligation on producers, the Regulations also encourage them to reduce the amount of packaging used.
In addition, the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 1997 include a requirement that packaging must be minimal subject to the safety and hygiene of the packed product to the consumer. The Regulations are enforced by local Trading Standards Officers, and two examples of prosecution under these regulations are known to the Department.
We have no detailed information on the quantity of packaging used in food and non-food goods on retail sale.
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