Friends of the Earth: Press Release: FOE WELCOMES GOVERNMENT WASTE STRATEGY Urgent action needed to improve UK's "pathetic" recycling record

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FOE WELCOMES GOVERNMENT WASTE STRATEGY Urgent action needed to improve UK's "pathetic" recycling record

09 Jun 1998

FOE also welcomes the more positive noises Government is making about using regulations to ensure items such as newspapers have a mandatory minimum recycled content.

Friends of the Earth is however concerned by the suggestion that households may be charged by the amount of waste they put out. It is essential that before such measures are introduced that householders have top class recycling facilities at their doorstep. Only when this is the case should the Government introduce trials to charge people differently for the waste they dispose of. Such trials should investigate whether large or poorer households are disproportionately affected.

Friends of the Earth's major objection to the proposals in the strategy is the suggestion that incineration should be increased. Waste incineration carries substantial financial costs in the medium term and is environmentally damaging. The strategy is also very weak on jobs and fails to recognise that recycling more would substantially increase employment compared with burning or burying waste.

During the consultation on the strategy Friends of the Earth will call for:
.    A target of recycling/composting 40 per cent of household waste by 2005 and a longer term target of 80 per cent (the sort of targets that are already met in other parts of the world, see attached tables).
.    A long-term target for waste reduction.
.    The use of landfill tax money for putting in place a comprehensive recycling service for households.

Anna Thomas, waste campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“The UK has a pathetic recycling record. It is no wonder that Michael Meacher is proposing that we smarten up our act. Recycling rubbish makes sense for the environment and for creating much needed jobs, disposing of our waste in polluting incinerators or rubbish tips does not. The Government has outlined some good plans in this new document for increasing recycling, but is still far too enthusiastic about incineration. We hope the Government will carry through the commitment to recycling instead of being subject to unseemly influence by those who benefit from the wasteful excesses of a throwaway society.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] Less Waste More Value - Consultation Paper on the Waste Strategy for England and Wales, 9 June 1998, DETR

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