ACS

Defra has confirmed its intention that packaging waste recovery and recycling targets for Great Britain will increase from 2008 onwards.

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 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 the UK meets the 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 Defra originally consulted. They still represent an increase over the 2007 targets, and will rise steadily year-on-year. Defra are balancing the 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 (Waste & Resources Action Programme) 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 there is 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."

For further information click here: http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=351625&NewsAreaID=2