Why should others make the effort ... when the government cannot be bothered to put their own house in order?

Andrew Bennett MP

Labour MP Andrew Bennett, who chairs the Commons environment, transport and the regions committee, said the government was setting a "bad example", and described its plans for sustainability as "unambitious and uninspiring".

"Why should others make the effort to think about and change what they are doing when the government cannot be bothered to put their own house in order?" he said.

Business failure

Business also faces criticism for failing to respond positively to demands for action on waste.

The report describes the Confederation of British Industry as suffering from "inertia and a negative attitude to the way the country deals with waste".

Mr Bennett said he had little confidence that waste would be given the priority it deserved, and described the inquiry as "at times depressing".

He said the committee had heard "the same excuses for limited progress or inaction" that it had heard during a previous inquiry into waste in 1998.

And he revealed that he was not optimistic that the report's "many radical and important recommendations" would be acted upon.

Mr Bennett says he heard the "same excuses".

Accepting the government's Waste Strategy 2000 was a step forward, he said it was also evidence that waste continued to be "a low priority".

It was "woefully inadequate to bring about the step change required in the way we think and deal about waste", he said.

A spokesman for the department of the environment, transport and the regions defended the government's record, and expressed disappointment that the committee had failed to acknowledge "progress already made".

"This government has a clear strategy for waste management, targets to be met and systems to deliver", he said.

"Waste Strategy 2000 sets out a clear vision and challenging targets for managing waste and resources up to 2020.

Incineration tax

The report, Delivering Sustainable Waste Management, also accuses the government of failing to offer a coherent incineration policy.

As landfill dumps are filled, additional incinerators for burning waste are under consideration, a strategy strongly condemned by environmental groups, who fear harmful health effects.

The report urges the government to introduce an incineration tax to ensure the landfill system is not simply replaced by an incineration one.