Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to establish a (a) clear pathway and (b) timeframe for transition plan disclosure to become mandatory for large UK companies.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government ran a consultation seeking views on how to implement transition plan requirements ran from June to September 2025 which has now closed. We are reviewing responses and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the lack of sorting requirements of collected materials under Simpler Recycling on recycling rates.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of the Simpler Recycling reforms, the Government has made an exemption in regulations to allow local authorities and other waste collectors to co-collect plastic, metal and glass in the same container. This applies in all circumstances without the need to produce a written assessment, based on the evidence that co-collection does not significantly affect the potential for those materials to be recycled.
The decision to allow dry materials to be co-collected has been taken based on evidence to indicate that simplifying the number of bins can help increase participation in recycling. Evidence also suggests that fully co-collecting systems (with one mixed dry recycling bin) have the highest levels of contamination (for example, broken glass stuck on paper or soggy paper from the liquid from bottles and cans), and that paper and card are particularly vulnerable to cross-contamination, which will affect the recycling rate. By default, therefore, paper and card should be separately collected from all other dry materials so their potential to be recycled is not reduced.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with PackUK on the role of the Producer Responsibility Organisation in setting expectations for (a) the sorting of collected materials and (b) mechanisms which could support consistent recovery across different local authorities and MRFs.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department is working with PackUK to appoint a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) which will be responsible for administering certain elements of the pEPR scheme. The sorting of collected materials and consistent collections is not within PackUKs remit, so no discussions have taken place so far on the involvement of the PRO in this area.
We are working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements in England.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the potential impact of the circular economy on local economic growth.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government’s commitment to transitioning towards a circular economy builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and creates a more resilient economy with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure. The UK’s existing circular industries deliver £67 billion to the economy, and industry estimates indicate that the ongoing reforms in the packaging sector alone have the potential to support an estimated 21,000 new jobs and stimulate over £10 billion of investment in recycling capability over the next ten years.
We will publish a plan for delivering the Government’s circular economy ambitions in the coming months and the action plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including: agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport. We also convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help us with this – they have undertaken extensive engagement with industry leaders, trade associations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the needs and opportunities for all are considered.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
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 she has made of the potential for private investment in the circular economy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government’s commitment to transitioning towards a circular economy builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and creates a more resilient economy with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure. The UK’s existing circular industries deliver £67 billion to the economy, and industry estimates indicate that the ongoing reforms in the packaging sector alone have the potential to support an estimated 21,000 new jobs and stimulate over £10 billion of investment in recycling capability over the next ten years.
We will publish a plan for delivering the Government’s circular economy ambitions in the coming months and the action plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including: agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport. We also convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help us with this – they have undertaken extensive engagement with industry leaders, trade associations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the needs and opportunities for all are considered.