Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of municipal solid waste used in incineration plants is (a) biodegradable and (b) recyclable.

Fifty-five percent of municipal solid waste used in incineration plants in England in 2016 is estimated to be biodegradable.

It is not possible to estimate the proportion of municipal solid waste used in incineration plants that is recyclable because large tonnages of incinerated waste are reported as “mixed” waste categories, for which we do not currently have estimates of recyclable content. Additionally, there are no established definitions for waste that would be deemed to be “recyclable” based on the European Waste Catalogue waste code classifications that underpin waste reporting.