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 support the repair and re-use economy.

This Government committed in its manifesto to reducing waste by moving to a Circular Economy. Defra recognises that repair and re-use are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and a successful circular transition will deliver increased supply chain resilience, economic productivity, and economic growth.

As we develop our Circular Economy Strategy for England, we will consider the evidence for action from right across the economy and evaluate what interventions may be needed.

Defra has published guidance on how businesses can use the waste hierarchy, which is a framework for dealing with waste, which promotes re-use. The guidance shows how it works for a range of common materials and products and what businesses and public bodies need to do. It gives top priority to preventing waste in the first place. When waste is created, it gives priority to preparing it for re-use, then recycling, then recovery, and last of all disposal (e.g. landfill).