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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the differences between the target for recycling 65 per cent of urban waste by 2035 agreed by the European Council and Parliament in December 2017 and their 25 year environmental plan that justified their opposing the EU target; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which such opposition will enhance the credibility of their 25 year plan.

The Government has yet to receive the formal text of the outcome of the trilogue discussions and we will consider it carefully. There are several targets in the circular economy package of which the 65% recycling by weight target by 2035 is just one.

The Government has committed to publishing a new Resources and Waste Strategy in 2018 aimed at making the UK a world leader in resource efficiency. It will ensure resources are kept in use for longer and set out how we will work towards eliminating all avoidable waste by 2050, and all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. This is consistent with the EU’s Circular Economy Package and in some respects goes beyond it.

As we develop the Resources and Waste Strategy we will explore whether more innovative targets can be developed that deliver clear benefits over those proposed by the EU, including weight-based measures. Should they be preferable, the UK Government will present proposals to the UK Parliament following the UK’s departure from the EU.