Margaret Beckett has convened a summit to examine how Britain's poor record on recycling waste can be improved.

Bringing together representatives from local government, green campaign groups, the Environment Agency and business, the "summit" looked at environmentally-friendly ways to dispose of the UK's waste.

The meeting coincided with calls for the government to do more to promote waste recycling in order to reduce the need for controversial incinerators.

Forum Response: Environmental Services Association

Dirk Hazell, chief executive of the Environmental Services Association, told ePolitix.com: "Our industry wants to get the UK's waste and secondary resource management further from low cost waste disposal and more towards resource management actively contributing to the UK's resource efficiency. This will take political leadership. Margaret Beckett showed leadership last month in her keynote speech announcing the Waste Summit. She again showed it today in her announcement of a Performance and Innovation Unit study on waste.

"Much has been said in recent years about waste management policy. It is now necessary to co-ordinate the process of government so that clear leadership can now be given and words can become deeds. A PIU Study into waste is a logical sequel to the PIU study into resource efficiency launched this week by the prime minister. While some disagreements remain about the way ahead, there is a large area of consensus and a willingness to move ahead which the government can now transform into practical progress.

"The industry attaches great importance to this initiative. It is of course for the government to direct the PIU study and we will help as best we can. The Environmental Services Training and Education Trust is also today writing to the secretary of state to offer at least £100,000 to facilitate the work of the PIU if this is felt to be helpful and appropriate."