Renewable Energy: Waste

Mr. Leech
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) on what dates the joint working group on energy from waste policy has met;

(2) what consideration the joint working group on energy from waste policy has given to end-of-waste fuels.

Dan Norris
The Energy from Waste Project Board held its first meeting on 27 January 2010.

The project is intended to provide clarity and guidance to those in local authorities and industry involved in waste management. In particular we shall be developing a more explicit hierarchy of energy recovery, seeking to define more clearly what constitutes “the right energy from the right waste”. End-of-waste fuels are one of the materials the project will consider.

Mr. Leech
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the three month period for consideration of comments made on the draft end-of-waste protocol under Article 8(2) of the Technical Standards Directive (98/34/EC) will conclude; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris
On 23 and 26 November 2009 the European Commission and Austria respectively commented under article 8(2) of the technical standards directive on the draft end-of-waste protocol for fuel produced from waste lubricating oil that the UK notified under article 8(1) of the directive. The UK responded to both sets of comments on 15 February 2010. In doing so, it was confirmed that the UK intended to adopt the end-of-waste protocol on the basis notified to the Commission on 27 August 2009 and that the UK would communicate the definitive text to the Commission in compliance with article 8(3) of the directive. The Environment Agency expects to publish the definitive text before the end of March 2010.