Materials

The government is to press ahead with pilot schemes to charge for waste disposal and reward recycling, despite criticisms from MPs.

In a joint memorandum, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Communities and Local Government said pilots would provide high-quality evidence to base a decision on a possible national rollout.

The government also defended the pilot schemes as "a sensible response to stakeholder concerns" over the implementation of waste charging.

The memorandum was the response to a Communities and Local Government Committee report, published in February, which accused the government of making a "comprehensive retreat" on its waste management policy.

The committee raised the issue of whether councils would "want to set up a scheme that earns it no money and risks public disproval".

The government maintained that local authorities were best placed to evaluate the effectiveness of a scheme, but it was important that all money gained be returned to participants in the scheme to ensure fiscal neutrality.

The pilot schemes form part of the Climate Change Bill, which was first drafted in March 2007.

The Bill has passed through the House of Lords and is awaiting a second reading in the Commons.