The environment minister, Elliot Morley, has announced that £135 million will be made available to local authorities from the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund.

Forum Response: Envirowise

Dr Martin Gibson of Envirowise told ePolitix.com: "Envirowise welcomes the announcement of increased funding for waste minimisation by local authorities. This is a clear indication of the serious commitment of government to reducing waste.

"It will be particularly interesting to see if local authorities can do more to stem the production of waste in the first place, rather than simply divert waste from landfill into recycling. This approach will be a real challenge but will bring reduced costs to councils and a better overall environmental outcome.

"Following the waste hierarchy - eliminate, reduce, reuse then recycle before resorting to disposal - makes both economic and environmental sense. Many companies have already recognised that they can make substantial cost and environmental savings by minimising the production of waste.

"Envirowise provides a wealth of free guidance to help companies to do just this. We now need more success in reducing domestic waste reduction."

Forum Response: Chartered Institute of Waste Management

Dr Jane Beasley, communications manager at the CIWM, told ePolitix.com: "CIWM is fully supportive of the announcement today by the environment minister Elliot Morley that a further £135 million will be available for local authorities under the DEFRA Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund.

"Adequate funding to support the development of waste management activities remains a priority, particularly with regard to Local Authority recycling infrastructure development and implementation.

"The Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund has to date provided a vital source of financial support for local authorities in developing their recycling strategies and we anticipate the additional money will make a positive contribution towards improving recycling rates for those local authorities successful in their bids.

"We look forward to clarification of the bidding process from DEFRA in September, in addition to further information on the new Performance Reward Grant."