Councils need more power to tackle the real waste culprits

5.13.58pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 24th May 2007

Speaking ahead of the Government's waste strategy announcement today, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP said "Britain is the dirtiest rich country in the European Union. Every British person throws away half a tonne each year, 15 per cent more than ten years ago."

Chris Huhne MP

Continuing Chris said "The Netherlands and Germany recycle three times as much as Britain. Most of our waste heads for landfill where it can pollute table water and create dangerous greenhouse gases like methane. This belated attempt to improve our performance needs to be far more ambitious.

"We need to work on every aspect of the problem: curbing excess packaging by introducing a right to return at retailers, prosecuting manufacturers using unnecessary packaging, and colour coding recyclables so that householders know whether their council collects them."

"Councils must have the freedom to tailor waste collection to the needs of their area, including the ability to give discounts for good recycling. But there should be clear incentives on all authorities to recycle more by passing on the cost of the landfill tax."

"The government should also encourage weekly collections of food waste which provides nearly 20 per cent of German electricity, and boost reuse schemes for bottles and other containers. We need to make recycling a natural part of everyday life or we will end up suffocating in mounds of our own rubbish."