Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) his Department and (b) Public Health England (i) received and (ii) commissioned assessments of the effect on peoples' health of emissions from waste incinerators disposing of plastic.

Public Health England (PHE) has not received or commissioned any assessments on disposing of plastic waste by incineration.

When consulted, PHE provides an expert and independent opinion to the regulator, the Environment Agency, on the potential impacts on human health of emissions arising from existing or proposed regulated facilities, such as municipal waste incinerators (MWIs). Emissions from existing regulated facilities are closely monitored and regulated by the Environment Agency.

PHE’s position is that well run and regulated modern MWIs are not a significant risk to public health when incinerating the general municipal waste mix which includes plastic.