Archived press release

Government given "kick up backside" over waste

30 June 1998

The House of Commons Environment Committee today gave the Government a “kick up the backside” for their failure to put a sustainable waste management strategy into practice.
The Committee records its “profound disappointment, on the basis of the evidence we have received, that waste management in this country is still characterised by inertia, careless management, and ad hoc, rather than science based decisions”. The report, which accuses the Government of a “lack of commitment”, also makes a series of important recommendations and is heartily welcomed by Friends of the Earth.

The report calls for:
. a “revolution in resource use”. It points out that 20 per cent of the world's population uses 80 per cent of the world's resources and states that “such inequality cannot continue”
. local authorities to be given resources to increase recycling and for the Government to “[intervene] in the market to secure stability and a successful strategy”. (A point made by a Friends of the Earth survey last week that showed that recycling schemes around the country are collapsing due to lack of demand for waste paper.)
. the Government to spell out its' plans for the landfill tax over the next five years, and to “consult on the likely effectiveness and impact of an incineration tax, with a view to introducing the tax before the end of this Parliament.

Mike Childs, Senior Waste Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“The Government have been given a kick up the backside over their lack of commitment to dealing with the mountains of waste produced every year. The Environment Committee is absolutely right in saying that we need a revolution in resource use. It is now up to the Government to respond swiftly to this challenge. They should ensure that local authorities have the funds to reduce and recycle waste, they must intervene in the market so that there is a healthy market for recycled materials, and they must introduce new fiscal measures,such as a tax on virgin resources (aggregates, paper, etc)”.

“Sustainable Waste Management” is the 6th report of the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust