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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with respect to producer compliance schemes for fridges and freezers, what recent steps her department has taken to increase (a) temporary storage and (b) additional recycling capacity.

Defra is monitoring the situation and supporting industry to develop mitigations. The Environment Agency has published a Regulatory Position Statement to allow temporary storage in England. Additional recycling capacity is expected in early 2027 and further investment in additional capacity has recently been announced for 2028.