Ruddock set for waste post in new Defra line-up

Mrs Ruddock, MP for Lewisham, and Jonathan Shaw, MP for Aylesford, are part of a largely new look-team which has been appointed to support Secretary of State Hilary Benn, with former recycling minister Ben Bradshaw moving to the Department of Health.

The new line-up has two ministers of State, Lord Jeff Rooker (who was in Defra under David Miliband) and MP Phil Woolas. Mr Rooker was a long-serving Labour MP in the West Midlands and has had heavy involvement in the construction, environment and local government sector in the past. Phil Woolas, who is renowned for his lively speaking style and knowledge of and enthusisasm for local government, is the MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.

Joan Ruddock

Joan Ruddock, MP for Lewisham and Deptford in south-east London has a wealth of knowledge about recycling and waste issues. The Veolia SELCHP incinerator is in her constituency and Mrs Ruddock has spoken on waste issues in Parliament for more than 10 years.

She has also played an active role in introducing legilsation, including parts of the Control of Pollution Act and more recently led the introduction of the Household Waste Recycling Act which received Royal Assent on 30 October 2003. This had been introduced as a Private Member's Bill and won the support of then Environment Minister Michael Meacher.

Mrs Ruddock's bill means that councils would have to provide a kerbside recycling service for every household by 2010, a service that would have to collect at least two materials for recycling.

Jonathan Shaw

Controversy could lie ahead if Jonathan Shaw wins the recycling job in the new Defra line-up. Mr Shaw, is MP for Chatham and Aylesford, home the Aylesford Newsprint mill.

 He has spoken in favour of the paper sector in the past. Mr Shaw is also a supporter of the kerbside-sorting of materials and his stance, unless it changes, could put him up against the operators of materials recycling facilities.

Aylesford Newsprint has been leading a campaign in favour of kerbside sorting of paper. Mr Shaw has said in the past on kerbside collections: “Local authorities are driven by considerations of weight rather than of quality. Therefore, a reduction in quality inevitably happens. The quality of the raw material is vital for the paper industry to produce the quality product that consumers want.”