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PRESS RELEASE

To be released immediately: 24^th July 2000

TREASURY'S MILLIONS ARE A WELCOME BOOST FOR WASTE RECYCLING

The Community Recycling Network has welcomed the chancellor's promise of more than £500 million for sustainable waste management but is calling for even more money in order to fund the recycling revolution needed to tackle the UK's growing waste problem.

Out of the Treasury's treasure chest of £43 billion at least £140 million will be going directly to local authorities to help meet the higher recycling targets set out in the government's waste strategy. A further £25 million will be going, over a three-year period, to WRAP, the Waste Resources Action Programme. An estimated pot of £554 million over three years will also be going to local authorities.

Andy Moore, CRN's co-ordinator says: "We welcome the announcement of this money, though more than this will be needed to achieve the objectives of the Waste Strategy. This money will go towards enabling councils and the community waste sector to deliver good quality kerbside collections for every home in the country and allow many more householders the opportunity to recycle their waste.

"Better and more convenient recycling services for everyone will mean that we can all seriously confront the problem caused by the creation of waste and tackle it in a sustainable way."

The money will be used by local authorities to meet their obligations under the Landfill Directive and other waste management legislation. Concerns have also been raised within the community waste sector that the headline-grabbing figures mask the fact that the funding balance will be made up by Private Finance Initiative, which is generally used to fund incineration.

Andy Moore added: "We welcome the PFI credits provided they are used to build reprocessing capacity but not incineration."

For further information:

Andy Moore, CRN Co-ordinator, (0117) 942 0142, Andy Nelmes, CRN Press Officer, (0117) 907 4368, andyn@crn.org.uk

Notes for editors:

The Community Recycling Network is a national umbrella organisation representing over 300 community recycling and waste management projects throughout the UK.

The CRN's aim is to promote community recycling as a practical and effective way of tackling the UK's growing waste problem. The members work together to promote sustainable waste management and have achieved some of the highest recycling rates in the UK.

Councils have new statutory targets to recycle 25 per cent of household waste by 2005 rising to 33 per cent by 2015, compared to the current average figure of less than eight per cent. The CRN backed the environment minister Michael Meacher's recent plea for additional funding to enable these targets to be reached.

The Community Recycling Network is based at 10-12 Picton Street, Montpelier, Bristol, BS6 5QA, tel: (0117) 942 0142. The CRN website is www.crn.org.uk.

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