The Government has been dubbed 'short sighted' by one of the UK's biggest waste companies after an environment minister revealed there are no plans to set recycling targets for councils.

Local government contractor, Biffa Municipal, hit out after Richard Benyon MP issued a statement saying: 'It is for local authorities to decide what aspirations on recycling are appropriate for their area depending on their wider waste management goals and individual circumstances.' The minister was responding to a parliamentary question from Labour MP Jack Dromey.