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 covid-19 testing equipment can be recycled.

We have provided guidance on gov.uk regarding the correct way to dispose of personal or business waste, including face coverings, personal protective equipment and lateral flow devices used for the asymptomatic testing of Covid-19: www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-disposing-of-waste.

We have looked at recyclability of used devices but given that they are constructed of a number of polymers and contain small quantities of liquid, albeit non-hazardous, there are currently no processes that can recycle them. We have worked very closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, the Environment Agency, Public Health England and other stakeholders to ensure that these are managed as safely and effectively as possible but currently there are no recycling options available. This is under constant review.