Benn issues statement following zero waste event

The decision is one of four outcomes of a World Without Waste Event, at which Mr Benn outlined plans to make England a 'zero waste nation' (see letsrecycle.com story). The meeting included representatives from the Local Government Association, Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee and Environmental Services Association.

In a joint statement issued this morning with John Denham, the secretary of state for communities and local government (CLG), Mr Benn said: “Defra and WRAP will produce a database of recycling and reuse information for local authorities that will enable them to cut through the confusion surrounding what the best thing to do with different waste materials is. This should also be very useful for businesses and other organisations who want to deal with their waste.

“That database will look at the value of material; the options for recycling and reuse; carbon savings that can be made; and the costs associated with processing different materials,” he added.

Among the other outcomes from yesterday's meeting are also plans for Defra to launch a consumer campaign later this month, aiming to “encourage people to rethink their approach to waste”.

Mr Benn also stressed a need to “do more things more efficiently”, and called for an increased convergence in how councils deal with household and commercial waste.

“We want local authorities to make use of technology like anaerobic digestion to generate energy, and to consider bringing households and commercial waste streams together at a local level,” he said.

And, he revealed that Defra and CLG would host a follow-up meeting in six months' time, in a bid to “assess progress” and “promote further sharing of best practice.”