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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to develop a more circular economy for resources.

The Government is supportive of initiatives which promote a more circular economy.

‘Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste’, the new Waste Prevention Programme for England, was published in July 2023. It outlined our ambitions for waste prevention across in relation to three cross cutting areas – designing out waste, systems and services and data and information; and seven key sectors: construction, textiles, furniture, electronic and electrical products, road vehicles, plastics and packaging and food. It sets out our priorities for action to manage resources and waste in accordance with the waste hierarchy and embeds our circular economy approach by retaining materials and goods in circulation for as long as possible and at their highest value.