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

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of soil by volume from construction sites is being treated as waste; and what plans they have to reduce that percentage.

UK Statistics on Waste (copy attached) shows that 47.6 million tonnes of waste soil was generated by the construction and demolition sectors in 2024 in England. The percentage of total soil is not known.

Waste soil is treated either by depositing onto or into land, backfilling, or other recovery.

Defra supports the sustainable management of soils and minimising unnecessary disposal to landfill, within the existing regulatory framework.