Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much recyclable waste (a) in tonnes and (b) as a proportion of total recyclable waste has been sent overseas in each of the last five years.
Data on exports of waste materials is collated and published by HMRC and is available at the following link https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/ots-custom-table/
Defra does not hold data on the amount of waste suitable for recycling generated in the UK.
Year | Waste exported for recycling (tonnes) |
2020 | 12,879,137 |
2019 | 11,373,916 |
2018 | 15,843,470 |
2017 | 16,431,888 |
2016 | 16,265,212 |