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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2017 to Question 115115, what steps he (a) is taking and (b) proposes to take to ensure that in future such waste is used higher up the waste hierarchy.

All waste operators, including local authorities, are required under the Waste Framework Directive to take account of the waste hierarchy when considering the provision of services around their waste management. The waste hierarchy places prevention at the top as it offers the best outcome for the environment, followed by preparing for reuse, recycling, other recovery (which includes energy from waste) and then disposal. Landfill should only be considered as a last resort.

The incineration of waste with energy recovery (also known as energy from waste) plays an important role in diverting waste from landfill but it must not compete with greater prevention, reuse and recycling of waste.

England’s recycling rate has increased to 44.9% and the Government has signalled clear ambitions for resource 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.