The Secretary of State for the Environment questioned whether legislation proposed by Friends of the Earth to collect recyclables from all homes was the best way to increase recycling rates. “We don’t necessarily need to have legislation,” she said, adding, “it is not always the best option to go for.”
Mrs Beckett suggested that trying to introduce a uniform method of waste collection would interfere with established recycling practices which vary from area to area. “We have to look at the practicality of the issues. For example, not everybody has a kerbside,” she argued.
Promised
Friends of the Earth first announced plans to launch a bill 12 months ago. In response to the Secretary of State’s comments, Mike Childs, senior campaigner at FoE said: “It is now well over 10 years since the government promised that we would be recycling 25% of our waste by 2000. Exhortation has failed in delivering a better recycling record in this country so the only remaining method is legislation.”
“Statutory targets for recycling and a duty on local authorities to provide every household with a quality recycling service will mean that recycling has to happen.” Mr Childs dismissed qualms about the precise nature of kerbside collection, saying: “As the bill goes through parliament, definitions may need to be made more carefully for high rise flats, for example, but the vast bulk of the population do have kerbsides or easy access to kerbsides. If local authorities can provide rubbish collection then they should be able to collect recyclables as well.”
Composting
The Secretary of State was speaking at the opening of a new materials recycling facility in Rainham, Essex, where she also made a reference to last week’s controversy over home composting. In response to national press reports that suggested the Environment Agency had said composting was dangerous and needed a licence, Mrs Beckett said: “composting is one of the best ways of getting value from waste and it is something the government very strongly support.”
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