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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) help reduce the number of (i) appliances and (ii) electronics which are thrown away and (b) support local repair cafes.

The Government is committed to reducing waste by moving to a circular economy and is developing a circular economy strategy. The approach reduces all forms of waste; moving materials and products up the waste hierarchy to reduce new inputs, prolong lifetime functionality and support sustainable economic activity, social safeguarding, and environmental preservation. We have already taken steps to reduce the 5 million single use vapes discarded weekly by introducing our single use vapes ban, which will come into force in June 2025.