Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will commit to increasing the proportion of overseas development aid spent on waste management to at least 3 per cent in line with the recommendations of Global Waste Management Outlook.

The UK is already providing international development support to multilateral funds that are tackling the problem of plastic pollution and waste management, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Global Environment Facility.

DFID also carries out broader work on waste management and urban planning in developing countries – this work helps support a reduction in the amount of plastics entering the marine environment.

In line with the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government is considering what more can be done to tackle waste effectively, including plastics waste. The issue will also be on the agenda for this year’s Commonwealth Summit being held here in the UK. There are no plans to set a spending target on waste management, but the International Development Secretary is engaging other Government Departments, to seek out new and innovative ways for DFID to work with them to solve critical global challenges, including plastic pollution and environmental protection.