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Tories in Whitehall carbon pledge Pay homes to recycle, say Tories
(about 10 hours later)
The Conservatives are to promise to cut Whitehall departments' carbon emissions by 10% within a year of gaining power. People who recycle household waste could get up to £130 a year in shopping vouchers under the Tories, the shadow chancellor is expected to say.
Shadow chancellor George Osborne will argue that this policy could save up to £300m a year in energy bills. The Conservatives have been piloting the American-style scheme in Berkshire and say they would help roll it out to councils across the country.
In a speech at Imperial College London, Mr Osborne will also promise to set up a "green investment bank" and to work with companies to tackle pollution. In a speech George Osborne will say the Tories would pay people to recycle, not "punish them" with "bin taxes".
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband described Mr Osborne's comments as "greenwash". Energy Secretary Ed Miliband described Mr Osborne's comments as "greenwash".
But a Tory spokesman called it the "most ambitious commitment on UK government emissions ever made". The UK must reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill by nearly two-thirds by 2020 to meet EU targets.
The shadow chancellor will say that Tesco, BT and B&Q have agreed to provide advice on how to reduce emissions. Recycling points
'Transparency' Since March Conservative-controlled Windsor and Maidenhead Council has been working with a US company which specialises in "pay to recycle" schemes in America - funded by savings in landfill tax.
Ahead of his speech, Mr Osborne told the BBC: "I'm going to cut energy budgets... and say [to Whitehall departments] 'Look, now you have to go and deliver the 10% cuts that we have promised.'" The Tories say it has encouraged households to boost their recycling by 30% and the average household is on course to receive £130 a year in vouchers.
He also accused Labour of being "too negative" in its attitude to the environment, relying on taxation rather than incentives to change people's habits. I want a Conservative Treasury to be in the lead of developing the low carbon economy and financing a green recovery George Osborne
In his speech Mr Osborne will say that a green investment bank will "back the bright ideas of the future in an area where Britain is now lagging behind". Points earned through recycling are redeemed online and spent in local shops, including Marks and Spencer.
He will add that, as part of the party's "transparency agenda", the Conservatives will publish online, in "real time", the energy consumption of all Whitehall departments. Rolling out the scheme is one of several environmental pledges expected to be outlined by Mr Osborne on Tuesday in a speech at Imperial College London.
A spokesman said this approach had been trialled by Windsor and Maidenhead Council and had led to an "immediate fall" in energy use of 15%. He will also pledge to cut carbon emissions from government departments by 10% in the first year of a Conservative administration - which he said would save £300m a year.
Mr Miliband criticised the Conservative's policy, saying it involved no new money. Departments that do not make savings would be given less money to spend on energy bills by the Treasury, he says.
Green ISAs
Ahead of his speech Mr Osborne accused Labour of being "too negative" in its attitude to the environment, relying on taxation rather than incentives to change people's habits.
He will say that the Conservatives will publish online, in "real time", the energy consumption of all Whitehall departments.
Other plans include setting up a "green investment bank" to help get private money to finance new green technology companies and introducing "green ISAs" allowing people to save money in tax-free accounts that will be used to invest in green companies.
Why should anyone believe a piece of greenwash from George Osborne? Ed MilibandEnergy and Climate Change Secretary
In his speech Mr Osborne will accuse Alistair Darling of being "at best indifferent, at worst obstructive" on environmental issues.
"That attitude is going to change if the government changes," he will say.
"I want a Conservative Treasury to be in the lead of developing the low carbon economy and financing a green recovery."
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband criticised the Conservative policy, saying it involved no new money.
"The truth is that the Tories have opposed Labour's extra public investment, including the £400m allocated at the time of the budget for new green industries," said the climate change secretary."The truth is that the Tories have opposed Labour's extra public investment, including the £400m allocated at the time of the budget for new green industries," said the climate change secretary.
"So why should anyone believe a piece of greenwash from George Osborne?""So why should anyone believe a piece of greenwash from George Osborne?"
Mr Osborne's speech is one of a series on the environment by leading Conservatives, including shadow foreign secretary William Hague and shadow international development secretary Andrew Mitchell.Mr Osborne's speech is one of a series on the environment by leading Conservatives, including shadow foreign secretary William Hague and shadow international development secretary Andrew Mitchell.