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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of resources available to local authorities to enforce waste disposal regulations.

This question has been interpreted as relating to whether an assessment has been made regarding adequate infrastructure availability for local authorities to meet their Simpler Recycling requirements.

We are working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements. Specifically, we have engaged with Materials Recycling Facilities (MRF) operators and local authorities to identify challenges with MRF capacity, investment and upgrade timelines, and to work with the sector to identify interventions to support MRFs as they prepare for Simpler Recycling. Those engaged with us are aware of their obligations and are working hard to upgrade their facilities to ensure they can separate the target materials as required by Simpler Recycling.

Further workstreams have included engagement with the organics processing sector who are also clear of the obligations on them and the increase in food waste material which will be generated in the coming years.