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 reduce paper junk mail in the context of tackling climate change.

The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy, published in 2018, sets out how we will better manage our material resources by minimising waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a circular economy. We are keen to ensure that goods and materials are kept in circulation for as long as possible and last year we consulted on a new ‘Waste Prevention Programme for England: Towards a Resource Efficient Economy'. We expect to publish a new Programme shortly.

We do not have any specific policy initiatives focusing on junk mail. To reduce unsolicited mail, individuals can register with services such as the Mailing Preference Service, or that run by the Royal Mail. A “no junk mail” notice may also be effective in deterring hand delivery of unwanted advertising material.