Energy Generation (Food Waste)

There is clearly a case for composting green wastes in households with the necessary space and capacity, such as those fortunate enough to have gardens, but according to information provided by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, some 17 per cent. of all waste is food waste in one form or another, whether it is commercial or domestic. The domestic component is very significant. It will not be possible to persuade everybody to compost, because that is simply not an option for people living in buildings in multiple occupation, for example. There is a place for composting, but we need to look at the whole range of options when trying to generate renewable energy, and this is one significant option that hitherto this country has failed to adopt, for the reasons that I have outlined, and it should be encouraged in the future. I am coming towards the end of my remarks, as I know the Minister wants to reply and tell us what wonderful things the Government are doing. Before he does so, however, I wish to say that the green energy proposals recently put forward by my colleagues have emphasised that biogas could potentially account for some 50 per cent. of residential gas heating. That is an eminently achievable target, if there is sufficient adoption of the technology across the country. It will require feed-in tariffs and continued use of double renewables obligation certificates, which is the regime that currently applies, but the environmental gains, especially from replacing fossil fuel fertiliser in the agricultural industry, which is a significant generator of greenhouse gases, are enormous. I urge the Minister to do as much as he can to push forward this policy as fast as he can. I would be delighted to welcome him to Ludlow so he can see what we have achieved, as some of his predecessors did.