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The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is playing down rumours of a split with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), after shock proposals to increase recycling levels of 'junk mail' to 70 per cent were announced in a national newspaper by Environment Minister Michael Meacher.

In an interview with the Financial Times last month, Meacher said he wanted to push the current direct mail recycling figure of 13 per cent towards a target of 70 per cent within the next six months. He also suggested that direct mail companies should make arrangements with local authorities about paying for kerbside collections.

But Meacher's comments are at odds with the DMA-DEFRA Producer Responsibility document, in which the DMA had already proposed recycling targets of 27 per cent by 2005, 45 per cent by 2010 and 55 per cent by 2015.

David Robottom, DMA director of development and postal affairs, says he is due to meet DEFRA this month and expects to strike a deal which is similar to, if not the same as, the one already suggested by the DMA.

"We've been working together on this for over a year and I'm trying to get this matter sorted. We've been very transparent and have had a structure in place and ready to go for the past six months, so I fully expect our proposals to be agreed."

However, DEFRA officials said Meacher's target was not to be dismissed.

"The present figure of 13 per cent recycling is quite low. Mr Meacher has on a number of occasions wanted to push for a much higher target," says a DEFRA spokesman.

DEFRA has confirmed that there have been ongoing negotiations with the DMA and that the office is in the final stages of reaching a conclusive voluntary agreement. However, its spokes-man added that if no deal could be reached, other avenues would need to be pursued.

"Mr Meacher simply pointed out that if we can't make progress on that, there are other ways of setting arrangements in place," he says.

Asked if he thought DEFRA was taking a more militant stand, Robottom said he was still confident of a positive outcome.

"Meeting our first 2005 target would mean a 100 per cent improvement in what we're already doing, which will be a huge task. But we've set up the infrastructure with this in mind, which includes details about how we can promote mail recycling with local authorities."

He adds that members can request the DMA's Producer Responsibility document, and that an agreement on the voluntary code of practice will be announced soon.