March 27, 2006. DEFRA Ben Bradshaw today urged businesses in the South East to take more action on waste as business and industrial waste issues are "moving up the political agenda".

The Local Environmental Quality Minister's comments come as Defra announce a new programme of pilot studies, business support services and research to help businesses get smarter in how they manage their resources and ultimately wastage.

The Government's Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme recycles revenue generated through increases in Landfill Tax and ploughs it back into a range of research, free services and support programmes for businesses.

Ultimately the programme, now in its second year, aims to reduce the amount of business waste being sent to landfill by eliminating it where possible and encouraging more innovative use of waste as a resource.

Currently, for every tonne of household waste produced a further ten tonnes of commercial and industrial waste is produced. Defra modelling suggests that commercial waste is likely to grow from 2002 levels by 13% by 2010, 33% by 2015 and 52% by 2020.

Defra's intention to fund a number of pilot studies have been announced today along with additional funding for the national programmes Carbon Trust, Envirowise, the Waste and Resources Action Programme, Environment Agency, National Industrial Symbiosis Programme, the Market Transformation Programme, and others.

Businesses can find out which services might be of help to their operations by contacting their local Regional Development Agency: Melvin Caton, South East of England Development Agency, on 01634 899 953 or email insert RDA contact details Some businesses in the region have already benefited. For example Envirowise worked with distribution company Securior Omega Express (based in Basingstoke and Swansea) and its supply chain - including MacMillan Distribution Ltd and Waterstones the book retailer - to design a custom-built, reusable box to replace cardboard cartons. The new box has eliminated over 15 tonnes of waste and saved the companies involved at least £7,000 per year.

Details of today's schemes coincide with the Government's ongoing consultation on its review of England's waste strategy. The consultation proposes to give a much greater emphasis on managing and reducing business waste in the future.

Ben Bradshaw warned that business waste in all its guises must move up the corporate agenda: "The days of dig and dump are over. Businesses in the South East must get smarter in how they handle their waste and our current consultation on England's waste strategy underlines this point.

"The impacts of our everyday consumption patterns on the environment remain severe. The inefficient use of resources can also affect business competitiveness - including small businesses.

"We need to see a revolution in smarter design of products so they are less wasteful and are easier to recycle, we need to see more businesses being more creative with what they do about their waste, and ultimately eliminating a lot of it completely. It's about doing more with less.

"With commercial and industrial waste growing at an alarming rate, waste from these sources is moving up the political agenda: waste is not just about household recycling. There has never been a more relevant time for businesses to get involved."

Among the measures being proposed in the Government's review of England's waste strategy are new targets to cut the amount of waste being sent to landfill by business and industry and a greater emphasis on eco-design - designing out environmental problems such as waste and energy use before they even reach the consumer - and producer responsibility agreements.

The Landfill Tax , currently £18 per tonne, will rise to £21 per tonne from April 2006.

ENDS Notes to editors * Defra's BREW programme recycles revenue generated through increases in Landfill Tax to fund a range of free services and targeted support for businesses.

* From April 2005 the landfill tax rate for waste will increase by at least £3 per year until a rate of £35 per tonne is reached. Currently the rate is £18.

* Government has committed to making this increase revenue neutral to business and local authorities.

* In the Spending Review 2004 settlement Defra was allocated £284m (£43 million for 2005/06, £95 million for 2006/07 and £146 million for 2007/8.

* The Government's review on England's waste strategy is currently being consulted on. The consultation paper and accompanying Regulatory Impact Assessment and Environment Report are available from the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk. Deadline for comments is 9 May 2006.

* The pilot programmes Defra intends to fund are as follows: Project Value (£k) Delivery body tbc: Evidence for Remanufacture 470 AEAT/BRE: Strategic Approach to Construction Waste 350 Local Government Association/NISP/Oxfordshire CC: 500 Trailblazer Authorities Middlesex University: Support certificate in Recycling and 196 Sustainability Management Market Transformation Programme: Water Product Performance 300 Information Labelling Scheme Kent Sustainable Business Partnerships/BusinessLink Kent: 155 Business Link Diagnostic Tool The Environment Practice & NECESI: Mentoring for Success 165 in Construction CRN UK: Proximity Principle Simplicity - Compost Doctors 160 White Young Green: Sector specific environmental best 170 practice programmes using a BS8555-phased approach Total 2466 * Additional funding from the BREW programme is as follows: Delivery Body Proposed Year 2 funding £m Carbon Trust* 25 Defra Data 2.1 DTI** 8 Environment Agency 4.25 Envirowise 19.082 Market Transformation Programme (MTP) 3.3 National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) 6 Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) 11.71 Defra contractor - RSWT 2 Strategic Supply Chain Group 0.237 Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) 9.725 Defra contingency/piloting etc. 3.596*** Total 95 *The Carbon Trust have £25 million ring fenced funding for 2006/7 **The DTI have £50 million ring fenced over 3 years and have requested £8 million for 2006/7 however, they will commit up to £20 million.

***The Agricultural Waste Stakeholder Forum has been allocated £1m over the three years of the Programme and will probably claim the majority of this in Year 2.