Contents

Foreword

Summary of issues for consultation

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 The amount of waste we produce

1.2 The Sustainable Development context

1.2.1 Waste minimisation: a key element of sustainable production

1.2.2 Dealing with waste with minimum harm to our environment

Chapter 2

Principles, instruments and targets

2.1 Reasons for Government involvement

2.1.1 Waste's environmental impact

2.1.2 Inefficient resource use

2.2 The waste hierarchy

2.3 Targets

2.3.1 Long-term ambitions

2.3.2 Intermediate targets

Chapter 3

Taking waste management decisions

3.1 Who takes waste management decisions...

3.1.1 ... in the business sector

3.1.2 ... in the household sector

3.2 How decisions should be taken

3.3 How waste should be dealt with

3.3.1 Minimisation of waste

3.3.2 Re-use

3.3.3 Recycling

3.3.4 Composting

3.3.5 Incineration with energy recovery

3.3.6 Landfill

Chapter 4

Who should do what

4.1 Households and consumers

4.2 The voluntary sector

4.3 The commercial sector

4.4 Industry

4.5 The waste management industry

4.6 Local authorities

4.7 The Environment Agency

4.8 Central Government

Chapter 5

Conclusions

Appendix A

Coverage of the new waste strategy for England and Wales

Appendix B

Development of the new waste strategy in Wales

On 4 February, John Prescott launched "Opportunities for Change", our consultation paper on the Government's strategy for sustainable development. Since then, we have been touring the country talking to individuals, to businesses and to local authorities about sustainable development. One of the very clear messages we are receiving is that our strategy for sustainable development must have at its heart a strategy for reducing the waste we create and for providing good environmental solutions for the waste we do produce.

The previous government's White Paper recognised many of these issues. It made a start on putting in place mechanisms to deliver change - like the landfill tax, and producer responsibility for packaging. But it did not recognise the scale of change required to meet its own targets for recycling and recovery; and it did not place its waste strategy squarely in the context of sustainable development and resource use. These are key weaknesses which the new strategy must address.

The problems are serious, and they are about the impact our economy, and our behaviour as individuals, has on the environment. Every year, at least 120m tonnes of industrial, commercial, and household waste have to be dealt with. We need a strategy for reducing that total; without one, we could expect it to increase steadily. For the waste which cannot be avoided we need solutions which minimise environmental costs as well as costs to the consumer. And we should seek out the employment and market opportunities which a determined approach to this issue will bring, creating new jobs in this area, helping regeneration, and enhancing our ability to compete in one of the fastest growing global markets.

The table below sets out the key commitments which will underpin our approach. This consultation document sets out what the Government is doing now, and what we are proposing to do in the future, to improve our waste management. And it asks a number of key questions on the subjects that the national waste strategy will need to cover.

We want to hear your views on these issues, and your creative suggestions for how we can do things better. Above all, we want a full debate on how to reduce the waste we produce, and how to deal with our unavoidable waste in ways that protect our environment.

Michael Meacher

Win Griffiths