DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (News Release ref :
41/08) issued by The Government News Network on 11 February 2008
Defra has today
confirmed its intention that packaging waste recovery and
recycling targets for Great Britain will increase from 2008 onwards.1
In this year alone the new, higher targets will save over 8m
tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the Earth's atmosphere,
helping in the fight against dangerous climate change. The targets
will increase again over the following two years to realise a
further saving of 258,097 tonnes of CO2 in 2009 and then an
additional 285,436 tonnes in 2010.
The targets announced today have been designed to save more CO2
emissions than the targets originally published in Defra's
consultation paper last year. They are based on updated market
data and the feedback received during the public consultation,
which ended in November 2007.
The new overall recovery targets of 72% in 2008, 73% in 2009 and
74% in 2010 will ensure that we meet our 2008 EU Directive target
of recycling at least 60% of our packaging waste. They will also
contribute to meeting the ambitions outlined in the 2007 Waste
Strategy for England.
To reflect current market factors and updated data on Great
Britain's recycling performance for aluminium and glass, the
increases in targets for aluminium and glass for 2008 are slightly
smaller than those on which we consulted. They still represent an
increase over the 2007 targets, and will rise steadily
year-on-year. We are balancing these adjustments with higher than
proposed overall recovery targets, to achieve a bigger CO2
reduction in total.
Over the next year, Defra will be working with the industry,
Local Authorities, WRAP and others to develop a package of
measures to increase aluminium recycling. Significant improvements
in the collection and sorting arrangements are needed,
particularly for beverage cans in the household and on-street
waste streams. Aluminium is one of the Waste Strategy's
priority materials, high-value and carbon-rich, so we have much to
gain by enabling higher recycling rates.
Joan Ruddock, Minister for Waste, commented that "Reducing,
recovering and recycling packaging is an important way in which
business, Government and the consumer can work together to reduce
greenhouse gases. These increased targets represent our commitment
to drive up recycling in Great Britain and tackle dangerous
climate change."
Note for editors
1. These targets were reached following feedback from the
'Consultation on recycling targets for packaging for 2008 and
thereafter', 11th Oct - 30th Nov 2007 which can be found on
the Defra website. They also reflect advice from the Advisory
Committee on Packaging.
2. The table below shows the business recovery and recycling
targets for Great Britain, which are the targets used by
businesses to calculate their obligations for 2008 - 2010.
2008 2009 2010
Paper 67.5% 68.5% 69.5%
Glass 78.0% 80.0% 81.0%
Aluminium 35.0% 38.0% 40.0%
Steel 68.0% 68.5% 69.0%
Plastic 26.0% 27.0% 29.0%
Wood 20.5% 21.0% 22.0%
Recovery 72.0% 73.0% 74.0%
The table below shows the estimated carbon savings of
implementing these targets.
2008 2009 2010
Paper 3,484,799 3,571,789 3,660,171
Glass 962,678 1,005,135 1,036,018
Aluminium 538,093 587,137 621,128
Steel 488,907 490,039 491,148
Plastic 594,294 627,004 693,651
Wood 198,526 213,542 234,896
Gen Recovery 1,824,996 1,855,744 1,898,863
Overall Recovery 8,092,293 8,350,390 8,635,876
3. These targets have been agreed by Government but are still
subject to completion of Parliamentary procedure. A statutory
instrument subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of
either House will be laid shortly.
Public enquiries 08459 335577;
Press notices are available on our website http://www.defra.gov.uk
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1 Subject to completion of the Parliamentary process
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