17th June 2008 - Linda backs new recycling targets

Linda McAvan has welcomed the result of a vote in the European Parliament in Strasbourg this lunchtime which sets new targets for recycling of household and municipal waste.

Britain produces 434 million tonnes of waste every year - enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall in London every two hours. Less than a third of this goes on to be recycled, with most of the remainder ending up in landfill.

MEPs today backed a new Waste Framework Directive, which sets a target for recycling and reuse of 50% of household waste such as paper, metal and glass, and 70% of construction and demolition waste by 2020.

National government and local authorities will now be responsible for implementing these targets. The Local Government Association in the UK has been supporting their introduction.

Linda McAvan, who also sits on the European Parliament's Environment Committee, said;

"Doorstep recycling has become commonplace across the region over the last few years, but the truth is that we all still need to do more in order to cut landfill and help to protect the environment. At the moment only 27% of household waste in the region is recycled. Taking rubbish out of landfill not only reduces the pressure on landfill sites but also helps to reduce our carbon footprint - which in turn will help us all to meet our commitments to tackle climate change."