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 reduce levels of incineration of plastic.

We are clear that we want to see less residual waste being generated in the first instance. To this end, in addition to our Collection and Packaging Reforms, we have set a statutory target under The Environmental Targets (Residual Waste) (England) Regulations 2023 to ensure that the total mass of residual waste (excluding major mineral wastes) for 2042 does not exceed 287 kg per person. This is the equivalent of a 50% reduction from 2019 levels. This is supported by an interim, non-statutory target set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan to ensure that residual municipal plastic waste for 2027 does not exceed 42 kg per person.

We are also working closely with DESNZ on the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to cover fossil carbon emissions from waste incineration and EfW from 2028. This will provide an incentive for the development and uptake of decarbonisation technologies or waste management practices to reduce emissions from incineration of residual waste plastic.