Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made towards setting targets for waste reduction in the NHS.

In 2023, NHS England published a new Heath Technical Memoranda (HTM) titled Safe and Sustainable Management of Healthcare Waste, as well as a new clinical waste strategy. Further information on the HTM is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/B2159iii-health-technical-memorandum-07-01.pdf

Contained within the documents are targets and goals for improved clinical waste segregation, elimination of landfill waste, and increased waste recycling programmes. These measures will continue to reduce waste, and provide better value for money to the National Health Service.