Defra recycling targets review nears completion

The government is expected to reveal some amendments to its proposed business recycling and recovery targets for packaging by the end of this month.

John Turner, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Packaging, said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was looking at the targets "right now" and was in the process of getting environment minister Joan Ruddock to "make a decision".

He said the recycling and recovery targets for some materials might be adjusted and others "slightly increased" after feedback on proposals in a Defra consultation that closed on 30 November 2007.

However, a Defra spokeswoman said the department had "nothing to say at the moment on any changes to recycling targets".

The government proposed setting a 68% target for steel in 2008, rising to 68.5% next year, 69% in 2010 and by one percentage point in both 2011 and 2012.

However, the steel industry warned that these targets might not be high enough to encourage investment in infrastructure.

The aluminium sector, on the other hand, was concerned that it would not be able to meet its target of 38% for 2008 because of rules governing overseas processors.

Alupro called on the government to resolve the "broadly equivalent" issue, which requires exporters of aluminium to prove to the Environment Agency that overseas reprocessors meet similar quality standards to their European counterparts.

Turner said there had been discussion about the "broadly equivalent" issue following the Defra consultation.

The 2008 target for glass is 78.5%, rising to 80% in 2009, 81% in 2010, 82% in 2011 and 84% in 2012.

However, British Glass has warned that the higher targets would only be achieved if there was an improvement in the quality of glass coming from materials recycling facilities.

Packaging Federation chief executive Dick Searle said: "My concern is that whatever the targets are set at, the methodology for achieving them is highly suspect. The big issue remains that even materials that are readily recyclable, such as aluminium and glass, are struggling with the infrastructure for collecting them."
Source: packagingnews