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Government to fund recycling revolution?
14 July 2000
Rumours of Government plans to allocate £500 million for recycling in the forthcoming Spending Review 2000 are warmly welcomed by Friends of the Earth. The money will ensure local authorities can meet the statutory recycling targets set in the Government's recent Waste Strategy 2000.
Sarah Oppenheimer, Waste Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“This money would be a great boost to a better environment. It will mean that the initial cost of moving from the old black bag system to kerbside recycling collections will not fall on local council-tax payers. In the long run more recycling will save money by providing a cleaner environment and creating new local jobs in collection and reprocessing.”
But Friends of the Earth warns that many local authorities are still planning to build incinerators to manage their waste. Communities up and down the country are alarmed by the toxic pollution from incinerator emissions and ash, which contain cancer causing dioxins and heavy metals, and Friends of the Earth has vowed to help them fight the burners. The Government's Waste Strategy 2000 leaves the door open to scores of new incinerators across the country, while it is now Lib Dem party policy to have a presumption against incineration, and the Tories are calling for a moratorium on new incinerators and planning to recycle 50% of municipal waste by 2020.
Sarah Oppenheimer continued:
“People want to recycle. They don't want to have their health and environment threatened by incinerators which undermine efforts at recycling, destroy valuable natural resources, and create toxic ash”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] The Government Waste Strategy 2000 sets statutory targets for local authority recycling for 2003. Those achieving less than 5% in 1998/9 must reach over 10%; those recycling between 5-10% must double their rate; and those recycling over 15% must reach a third by 2003.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008
