European plan would force households to recycle rubbish

A huge increase in the recycling of packaging material was demanded by MEPs yesterday. Householders could be forced to separate glass, paper and plastic from general rubbish.

The vote in the European Parliament, 487 for and six against, sets an ambitious target under which 65 per cent of all packaging would be recycled by the end of 2006.

At present, industry bears the cost of ensuring slightly more than 40 per cent of packaging is recycled in Britain, but MEPs said householders would have to change their habits if the targets laid down were agreed by governments.

Eluned Morgan, a Labour MEP on the parliament's environment committee, said: "Up until now, businesses have taken on the responsibility of recycling. With these new targets every man, woman and child in the UK will have to start separating their rubbish."

David Bowe, Labour's environment spokesman in the European Parliament, added: "We are going to have to look at domestic waste because that is where the large quantities are."

The idea of forcing British households to adopt the system prevalent in much of the Continent may be attractive to the Government, which is examining schemes such as the Irish levy on supermarket plastic bags. Michael Meacher, the Environment minister, is thought to be sympathetic to stricter controls in Britain.

But Conservative MEPs attacked the parliament's decision as "damaging and unrealistic", and John Bowis, a former Tory minister, said the move would cost an extra €108m to €134m (£69 to £85m) a year. He said the 2008 target date preferred by the Government would have been more practical. That was rejected in favour of the end of 2006 as the Strasbourg assembly called for targets for recovery and recycling to be set for all main materials used in packaging, including glass, paper and cardboard, metals and plastics.

The first-reading vote in Strasbourg will go back to the member states, who are likely to try to lower the 65 per cent target.

The present EU directive does not specify how member states should meet their targets but in Britain industry bears the brunt of the national effort to recycle 42 per cent of packaging. It does this through a complex system under which it buys credits from firms that recycle waste.

Margot Wallström, European commissioner for the environment, welcomed the parliament's move, adding: "The targets will improve the overall level of environmental protection and encourage member states to obtain the best possible result in their countries."

The parliament's vote came as part of the push to update the 1994 directive on packaging and packaging waste.