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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will direct the Environment Agency undertake an investigation of compliance with the Waste Hierarchy in relation to companies sending (a) unsold clothes and (b) other non-perishable goods to (i) landfill and (ii) incineration; and will he make a statement.

The Environment Agency (EA) is the enforcement authority for the duty in relation to the waste hierarchy in England. The EA has the discretion to consider how best to enforce that duty, taking on board all relevant considerations. The Government considers that effective waste prevention requires other policy measures beyond enforcement of the priority order in the waste hierarchy.

The forthcoming Resources and Waste Strategy aims to ensure that an enhanced set of measures will be in place to ensure resource productivity is optimised and environmental impact minimised in line with the waste hierarchy.