You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Daily Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

25 Jun 2007 : Column 70W—continued


25 Jun 2007 : Column 71W

25 Jun 2007 : Column 72W

Some authorities listed provide AWC of refuse alongside a weekly recyclables and/or food waste collection service. This list represents the Waste and Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) best understanding of the current situation. However, the often rapid changes in this area mean that this list might not be completely up to date.

WRAP has deleted from the list those authorities that had been incorrectly recorded as operating AWC schemes. Authorities operating small scale trials have also not been included, in order to avoid any confusion or potential misunderstanding if the authority has not yet agreed wider roll out of the scheme.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007, Official Report, column 77W, on domestic waste, what records the Waste and Resources Action Programme holds of local authorities intentions relating to the introduction of alternate weekly collections later in 2007. [145347]

Mr. Bradshaw: Local authorities intending to introduce alternate weekly collections later in the year are under no obligation to inform the Waste and Resources Action Programme of this fact.


25 Jun 2007 : Column 73W

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has provided to local authorities on the size of wheelie bins for collections of household waste. [145240]

Mr. Bradshaw: Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 empowers local authorities to specify the number, size, construction and maintenance of their waste receptacles, what can be placed in each, and also where and when they should be placed for collection.

My Department has funded the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), to provide advice and support to local authorities in carrying out their recycling and waste collection operations efficiently and effectively. However, WRAP has not produced any specific guidance on the size of wheelie bins for the collection of household waste.

Decisions on the best way to collect waste are rightly a matter for local authorities, not central Government.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the comments made by the Minister for Sustainable Farming and Food on 10 May 2007, House of Lords, Official Report, column 1534, (1) what estimate his Department has made of the increase in fly-tipping resulting from the move to alternate weekly collections of household rubbish; [145348]

(2) what requirements local authorities who move to alternate weekly collections of household rubbish will have to take extra steps to tackle fly-tipping. [145349]

Mr. Bradshaw: My Department has not made any assessment of fly-tipping incidents resulting from local authorities moving to alternate weekly collections of household waste.

There is currently no evidence that switching to alternate weekly collection of household waste results in an increase in fly tipping incidents.

Any changes to waste collection methods that are poorly implemented may increase the risk of fly-tipping. However, DEFRA actively encourages local authorities to have fly-tipping prevention and enforcement strategies in place, regardless of whether they introduce alternate weekly collections or not.

My Department is currently in discussions with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to consider whether they could work with any local authorities that are introducing these schemes in the future to carry out some pre, and post, scheme analysis of fly-tipping. This is in addition to the guidance that WRAP is currently updating on alternate weekly collections, in order to minimise nuisance and health risks.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to determine what works best for their own community, rather than central Government.

My Department is currently consulting on proposals to give local authorities the freedom to introduce financial incentive schemes to encourage recycling and minimisation
25 Jun 2007 : Column 74W
of waste by householders. This consultation seeks views on what controls, if any, Government should place on local authorities before allowing them to introduce such incentive schemes. We have proposed that there should be a requirement for local authorities who use these powers to have fly-tipping prevention and enforcement strategies in place.

Eggs: Labelling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure clear labelling of eggs produced from battery cage hens. [145564]

Mr. Bradshaw: The rules for marketing Class A eggs for consumption are agreed at European level. Each egg must be stamped with various details relating to its origin and including a code identifying the method of production. Packs or displays of Class A eggs must also be labelled with the production method and an explanation of the code on the eggs. Together, these enable the consumer to determine whether an egg is organic, free range, barn, or from a caged hen.

These rules are actively enforced in England from the primary production through packing to distribution by Animal Health ‘Egg Marketing Inspectors’ and by local authorities at retail and catering level.

Electronic Equipment: Recycling

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Dan Rogerson) of 27 April 2007, Official Report, column 1342W, on electronic equipment: recycling, what mechanisms the Government hope will be established to provide for the expected increase in recycling of (a) metals, (b) plastics and (c) other materials. [142884]

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.

The UK has existing treatment capacity for many types of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). For example, we have some of the largest and most modern fridge treatment facilities in Europe and are currently importing fridges from France and the Republic of Ireland. We have growing capacity for the treatment of TVs and monitors with cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and good treatment capacity for lamps and fluorescent tubes. The capacity in these areas has been prompted by the requirements of the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations (in the case of fridges and freezers) and the Hazardous Waste Regulations in the case of other types of hazardous WEEE.

Since the WEEE UK Regulations were laid on 12 December 2006 this existing infrastructure has been further enhanced, with investments of over £15 million across the UK. This investment includes plants in South Wales, Bedfordshire, Kent and Birmingham which will be capable of handling in excess of an additional 250,000 tonnes of WEEE material.

Next Section Index Home Page