The figure comes in a consultation paper which suggests two options for 2002. Both have a 61% recovery figure but there is a choice of material specific recycling target figures of 18% or 20%.
A spokesman for the DEFRA said that recycling of packaging waste must increase “if the UK is to achieve the challenging recycling objectives set out in the government's waste strategy, and help the UK to meet possible EU targets in 2006.”
The target for 2001 is 56% recovery with 18% material specific recycling.
Tomorrow the consultation paper is expected to be published on the DEFRA website and will reveal a key piece of information. In today's statement DEFRA has not actually revealed what the targets for 2002 would be based on.
This year the target is 56% of 8.4 million tonnes of waste. Should the 61% apply to a similar tonnage then about 400,000 tonnes more of recovery would have to be carried out next year. With PRN prices already rising, there would be likely to be a further increase in demand next year.
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