The Government has announced business recovery and recycling targets for 2004-2008 and other changes which, subject to parliamentary approval, will come into effect on 1 January 2004. In Scotland and Wales the changes will be made by the Scottish Executive and by the Welsh Assembly Government respectively.

Elliot Morley, Minister for Environment and Agri-Environment, announcing the changes said:

"Recycling of packaging waste must increase if the UK is to achieve the challenging recycling objectives set out in the Government's Waste Strategies and help the UK to meet expected EU Directive targets in 2008".

The Government intends to increase the business targets for packaging waste from the present 59% recovery and 19% material-specific recycling as follows:

Packaging recovery and recycling business targets (%)
Targets given for years (2004 2005 2006 2007 2008)
· Paper (65 66 68 69 70)
· Glass (49 55 61 66 71
· Aluminium (26 28 30.5 33 35.5)
· Steel (52.5 55 58 60 61.5)
· Plastic (21.5 22 22.5 23 23.5)
· Wood (18 19 20 20.5 21)
· Overall recovery (63 65 67 69 70)

Minimum amount of recovery to be (94% 94% 94% 95% 95%) achieved through recycling

Further tables showing the targets and the expected achievements in tonnage terms are available on the Defra website at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2003/031120a.htm

The targets have been set following a consultation exercise earlier this year, and in light of third quarter recycling and recovery returns and the estimated recycling rate for the year 2003. Data on plastic packaging waste recycling will be investigated shortly in light of allegations that some evidence of compliance is being issued inappropriately. The amount of wood recycling expected in 2003 is not clear as the wood data is uncertain at this stage. Thus, targets for wood and plastic recycling have been kept at a level designed to meet the likely Directive minimum material-specific recycling target in 2008.

There are separate targets for aluminium and steel and these have been set to achieve, together, the minimum material-specific recycling target for 'metals' in 2008. The allocation of targets as between aluminium and steel has been made with a view to achieving a fair balance in respect of the effort likely to be needed to collect and recycle packaging waste from the household waste stream.

Mr Morley said:

"The overall recovery target has been set with a view to taking account of the possible changes in relation to operations which incinerate waste with energy recovery".

Mr Morley noted that the recovery target would have to be met increasingly through recycling to ensure that the UK achieves at least 50% in 2004 and is able to increase this to the required minimum 55% in 2008. Some energy recovery can still be carried out for the moment, but to meet EU targets, this will have to be achieved through operations such as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) and co-incineration Energy from Waste (EfW) for which there is clearly room for growth.

Other EfW operations can continue to be counted domestically to achieve the UK business target for recovery. However, to ensure EU compliance by 2008 and continued compliance with the minimum 50% recovery requirement, there will be an incremental increase in the proportion of recovery to be met through recycling. This will be 94% in 2004/5/6 and 95% in 2007/8>>