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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of waste that the UK exports.

Waste must be properly managed whether processed at home or abroad. We work closely with the waste industry, Environment Agency and local authorities to achieve this. The Government outlines in the Resources and Waste Strategy its commitment to prevent waste from occurring in the first place, and managing it better when it does.

The UK is recycling more than ever and the Government is committed to recycling more at home. Our approach in the Resources and Waste Strategy, from production through consumption to end of life, is focused on increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK. This will grow the UK recycling industry and reduce the need to export recyclable waste. Waste is a commodity and these secondary materials will always have a global market and exports from the UK will form an ongoing part of our resource management where there is demand.

We also want to ensure, however, that any waste which we do send abroad is fit for recycling, and that it is recycled to equivalent standards as required in the UK. Increased monitoring and enforcement of exports should create a more level playing field for domestic recyclers.