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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government to crack down on waste incinerators with stricter standards for new builds, published on 30 December 2024, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the new local and environmental conditions to apply to all future incinerators.

Over the last 14 years, England has seen recycling rates stall, meaning too much waste is dealt with through incineration or thrown in landfill.

Under new plans, published alongside Defra’s Residual Waste Infrastructure Capacity Note, the government makes clear it will only back new waste infrastructure projects if they meet strict local and environmental conditions. Projects will need to maximise efficiency and support the delivery of economic growth, net zero and the move to a circular economy. We will be bringing forward planning reforms so that planning authorities consider these conditions in future applications.

Those developing energy recovery facilities (at all stages in the process) are encouraged to consider forecast changes to future capacity, demand, and the Government's circular economy opportunities, in light of the evidence published in the Capacity Note.