Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average amount of household waste that is recyclable.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
We do not have recent estimates on the average amount of household waste that could be recycled. Data on waste arisings are not structured around the material composition of waste streams so we cannot provide detailed information on the amount of waste in the residual waste stream that could be recycled.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that plastic waste exported from the UK is being used in an environmentally-friendly way.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Businesses involved in the shipment of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling.
The UK environmental regulators take an intelligence led approach to checking compliance with these obligations focussing on specific problematic wastes. Enforcement activity occurs in transit, at roadsides and at ports. However, the regulators continue to focus significant effort on identifying, stopping and intervening at source prior to illegal exports taking place.
The regulators also provide easily understood guidance for those responsible for exporting waste which allows anyone involved in the export of waste to determine which wastes can be legitimately exported to which countries and the procedures they must follow to do things legally.
Last year the Environment Agency issued 130 stop notices, prohibiting the export of unsuitable waste. It also stopped 4,565 tonnes of waste destined for illegal export at ports and intervened further upstream to prevent a further 15,113 tonnes of waste from reaching our ports. This work ensures we’re not exporting our problem wastes for unsuitable treatment or disposal.
We cannot ultimately dictate how UK waste is managed once it leaves the UK. There is a system of international rules on shipments which must be followed. The authorities in countries that receive UK waste also need to be clear about the types of waste they will accept and the waste import procedures they require exporters to adhere to.
Tackling waste is a top priority for the government. The Clean Growth Strategy, published on 12 October 2017, set out our ambition for zero avoidable waste by 2050 and announced we are exploring changes to the producer responsibility scheme. We must reduce the amount of waste we produce overall and increase the amount we recycle in the UK. We will set out further steps when we publish a new Resources and Waste Strategy later this year.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the environmental effect of cigarette waste; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Smoking related litter is considered to be litter and the Government has made no particular assessment of its environmental effect.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the use of plastic straws on the environment.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
We have made no specific assessment of the use of plastic straws on the environment, but are strongly supporting a number of the voluntary initiatives that are being led by the retail and hospitality sector.
Further to the Prime Minister’s call to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by 2042 and the Chancellor’s budget announcement in November 2017, officials from both Defra and HM Treasury are working closely on a call for evidence to be published shortly. This will seek views on how the tax system or charges could reduce the amount of single use plastics waste including plastic straws.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to monitor compliance with regulations at exposed wood-recycling plants.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Businesses managing waste wood, including wood recycling plants, must have an environmental permit issued by the Environment Agency (EA). Smaller and lower risk wood recyclers are exempt from a permit, but must register a T6 waste exemption with the EA.
The EA monitors compliance at the 47 permitted facilities that recycle or handle large quantities of waste wood. All of these sites submit data and information to the EA annually, which is used to help assess their performance. In 2017 the EA made 62 inspections and 10 in-depth audits of these facilities, based on site-specific risk and performance.
There are currently 24,419 registered T6 waste exemptions. Due to their low risk status these sites are not routinely monitored. The EA carried out 127 inspections of these facilities in 2017, after their performance raised concerns.
A current government consultation is seeking views on changes to the T6 waste exemption as there is evidence that it can be abused.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the contribution of waste water treatment plants to tackling the problem of micro plastics.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Environment Agency is currently working with the water industry and leading academics in the field to investigate the quantities, sources and types of micro-plastics entering the environment via sewage and sewage sludge. This work is being carried out as part of the water industry investment planning process and will inform future consideration of measures to reduce micro-plastics at source and the potential for plastic capture technology at water company waste water treatment plants.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on how much has been raised by retailers since the introduction of the 5p charge for single use carrier bags; and what information his Department holds on the schemes proceeds from that charge have gone to.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Since the charge was introduced in England, retailers have donated proceeds of approximately £95 million towards a variety of good causes covering the arts, education, environment, health, heritage and sports as well as local causes chosen by customers or staff.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the capacity of the UK’s waste recycling system.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The latest figures available for England in 2016 show that there were 2,782 recycling treatment facilities permitted managing 72.4 million tonnes of waste. There were also 2,420 metal recovery facilities managing 13.8 million tonnes of waste.
The Government has signalled clear ambitions for resources efficiency in the Clean Growth Strategy, Industrial Strategy and 25 Year Environment Plan, which set out an ambition for zero avoidable waste by 2050. We are committed to supporting comprehensive and frequent waste and recycling collections which protect local amenity and ensure that products are recycled as much as possible. The Government is developing a new strategy on resources and waste to be published later this year.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of washing synthetic clothing on to our oceans and marine life as set out in the 2017 report by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation on a new textiles economy: redesigning fashion's future.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
This report is consistent with growing evidence that microplastics reach the marine environment and come from many sources. We welcome the report as an important contribution to the debate on the issue.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's policy is on preventing incidences of rivers drying up as a result of unsustainable water abstraction.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Since 2008 the Environment Agency has made changes to over 270 abstraction licences to prevent over 27 billion litres of water per year being removed from the environment. This is enough water to supply half a million people, with water for one year.
The government is updating its plan for managing abstraction and will publish in due course.