Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to (a) support recycling efforts and (b) develop recycling infrastructure in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are improving recycling services across England through our upcoming Simpler Recycling reforms, which will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school.
Every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic, paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only).
Regarding recycling infrastructure, the Collection and Packaging Reforms – Simpler Recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – should guarantee a consistent supply of recyclable materials and increased income streams from pEPR. This should provide certainty, increasing investor confidence and unlocking investment in waste infrastructure.
Defra is currently strengthening the evidence base regarding waste and recycling infrastructure needs and we will continue to work closely with key stakeholders including local authorities and waste management companies on this.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department offers to household waste recovery firms in Fylde constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We take household waste recovery firms to mean private waste collectors. We are working to support private waste collectors in England ahead of the upcoming Simpler Recycling reforms, which will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school. Guidance has been published to assist local authorities, other waste collectors and workplaces in implementing the new requirements:
Defra has launched a Simpler Recycling Communications Toolkit to help local authorities and private waste collectors inform their business and non-domestic customers about the required changes.
We are continuing to engage with stakeholders to support successful delivery of the reforms, in the lead up and following the 31 March 2025 implementation date for workplaces, and 31 March 2026 for households.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Environment Agency permits allowing the importation of waste from outside the UK are in effect; and if he will provide a list of sites covered.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency currently has 208 notifications to import waste, which is recovered at 86 sites. The sites and the number of notifications to each site are listed in the table below:
Facility | Facility Postal Code | Number of notifications (permits) |
3R Technology UK Limited | PR2 5BB | 1 |
A-Gas UK Ltd | BS20 7XH | 3 |
Airbag Disposal (UK) Ltd | S9 1BG | 5 |
AO RECYCLING LIMITED T/A A O Recycling Ltd | TF7 4ER | 1 |
AREERA LTD | HX5 9JD | 1 |
AUGEAN SOUTH LIMITED | PE8 6XX | 1 |
AUGEAN TREATMENT LIMITED | BS11 0YA | 1 |
| TS2 1UE | 1 |
AVANTI ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP LIMITED T/A Tradebe Knowsley | L33 7SG | 1 |
BALCAN ENGINEERING LIMITED | LN9 6RJ | 1 |
BASF Metals Recycling Ltd | GL14 2PH | 5 |
BIP ORGANICS LIMITED | CW10 0QF | 8 |
BOC Ltd | DN41 8DZ | 1 |
Britannia Refined Metals Ltd. | DA11 9BG | 2 |
BRUCE METALS LIMITED | S9 5DQ | 1 |
CARBON LINK LIMITED | DN40 2QR | 1 |
CENTEC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | CW10 0QF | 4 |
CHEMOXY INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | TS3 6AF | 1 |
CLEAN PAK LIMITED | HU2 0PU | 1 |
CNC RECYCLING LIMITED | TS25 2DF | 1 |
COMPUTER SALVAGE SPECIALISTS (SPECIAL WASTE) LIMITED | RG19 4ND | 1 |
CPL PRODUCTS LIMITED | DN40 2QR | 4 |
DARTMOUTH GLOBAL TRADING CO. LIMITED | DY2 0AF | 3 |
Eco Option (UK) Ltd | CW9 7XU | 1 |
Ecobat Resources UK Ltd | DE4 2LP | 18 |
ECOBAT SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED | WS10 8JR | 3 |
ELECTRICAL WASTE RECYCLING GROUP LIMITED | HD5 0JS | 1 |
ELG UTICA ALLOYS LIMITED | S63 5AB | 1 |
ENVA BATTERY RECYCLING LIMITED | DN40 2LF | 2 |
ENVA ENGLAND SPECIALIST WASTE LIMITED | NG22 8UA | 2 |
ENVA PLASTICS LIMITED | PE10 ODN | 2 |
ENVIRONCOM (NORTH WEST) LTD. | DY9 7DP | 1 |
EUROPEAN METAL RECYCLING LIMITED | L20 1BX | 1 |
S014 5AP | 1 | |
| WS10 8LW | 1 |
EUROPEAN METAL RECYCLING LIMITED T/A Mayer Parry Ltd | CB8 7ND | 1 |
European metal Recycling Ltd | NW10 6QY | 2 |
FBM METALS (UK) LIMITED | DN41 8DF | 3 |
FORTIS IBA (SOUTH EAST) LIMITED | ME9 8SR | 1 |
FORTIS IBA LIMITED | SO21 3QS | 1 |
GEOCYCLE UK LIMITED | ST10 3EQ | 1 |
Greenway Environmental Limited | L20 8JB | 1 |
H J Enthoven Limited | DE4 2LP | 1 |
H RIPLEY & CO. LIMITED | TN23 6LR | 1 |
IBSTOCK BRICK LIMITED | BN84BA | 1 |
INNOVATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS UK LTD | B69 3EL | 1 |
JBM INTERNATIONAL LTD | ST18 0PY | 5 |
JBR Recovery Ltd | B70 9BS | 3 |
JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC | EN3 7PW | 18 |
JSP LIMITED | OX29 7PL | 3 |
KEELING & WALKER LIMITED | ST4 4JA | 1 |
LAFARGE CAULDON LIMITED | ST10 3EQ | 2 |
MASTERMELT LIMITED | SK17 9RZ | 2 |
Mastermelt Refining Services Limited | SK17 9RZ | 11 |
MICK GEORGE LIMITED | CH65 1BL | 1 |
MIL-VER METAL COMPANY LIMITED | CV6 6AP | 1 |
MORRIS & CO. (HANDLERS) LIMITED | DN4 8DE | 1 |
N&P CRAYFORD MRF LIMITED | DA1 4QG | 1 |
NEWBURY FERTILISERS LTD | ME9 9PB | 2 |
OIL SALVAGE LIMITED | L20 1AS | 2 |
OXFORD PLASTIC SYSTEMS LIMITED | OX7 4NP | 1 |
P A MOODY RECYCLING LIMITED | NE10 0ES | 3 |
PLAZ-TEC LTD | SK11 9HS | 1 |
PORT OF TILBURY LONDON LIMITED | RM18 7EH | 1 |
Re Group (Reclaim) Ltd | HU7 1RR | 1 |
S. NORTON & CO LIMITED | L20 8RQ | 4 |
SAR RECYCLING LTD | DN40 2DW | 1 |
SIMS METAL LIMITED | CV37 8AQ | 1 |
SONOCO CORES AND PAPER LIMITED | HX4 9PY | 1 |
SUBCOAL PRODUCTION TSP LTD | TS2 1TT | 1 |
TATE MEDICAL ENGINEERING LIMITED | LS21 3BB | 1 |
TECHEMET LIMITED | B77 5DY | 1 |
TEMPLEBOROUGH BIOMASS POWER PLANT LIMITED | S60 1FA | 2 |
TRACKWORK LIMITED | DN3 1RA | 2 |
Tradebe Heysham Ltd | LA3 3JW | 6 |
TRADEBE NORTH WEST LIMITED | CH65 4EY | 1 |
Tradebe Solvent Recycling Ltd | LA3 3JW | 2 |
SL7 1EY | 1 | |
SR1 2ES | 2 | |
| TN31 7TE | 11 |
TWINWOODS HEAT & POWER LIMITED | MK44 1FD | 1 |
VEKA RECYCLING LIMITED | NN8 4PE | 1 |
VEOLIA ES (UK) LIMITED | L19 8EG | 8 |
| S21 2DR | 1 |
VEOLIA UK (UK) LIMITED | CH65 4EQ | 1 |
Tradebe Fawley Ltd | SO45 3NX | 2 |
Asked by: Alison Taylor (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve recycling services in towns.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to confusion over what can and cannot be recycled in different parts of the country.
Every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal; glass; plastic: paper and card; food waste; garden waste (household only).
These reforms will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, ensuring there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and enabling growth in the UK recycling industry.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled Simpler Recycling in England: policy update, published on 29 November 2024, what the evidential basis is for the statement that he inherited legislation that could have required households to have up to seven bins.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Act 2021 created a requirement for the six recyclable waste streams to be collected separately from each other and be re-collected separately from residual waste for all households in England.
The Government has now laid regulations to streamline waste disposal so that all areas have the same rules to tackle the avalanche of rubbish communities are facing and clean up our streets for good.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to make recycling easier for residents in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, every citizen will be able to recycle the same materials, no longer needing to check what their council will accept for recycling. This policy will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, ensuring there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and that the UK recycling industry will grow.
Every household and non-household municipal premises (such as businesses, schools, and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core groups: metal; glass; plastic; paper and card; food waste; garden waste (household only). Simpler Recycling will be implemented on a phased timeline, beginning from 31 March 2025 for non-household premises and 31 March 2026 for households.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to incentivise councils to increase the range of plastic packaging that can be recycled at the kerbside through the Extended Producer Responsibility.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Simpler Recycling is a reform to the recycling system which means that people across England will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to the confusion over what can and cannot be recycled in different parts of the country. By 31 March 2026, local authorities will be required to collect all six recyclable waste streams - metal, plastic, glass, paper/card, food, and garden (where requested) - from all households in England. We will require recyclable plastic film to be collected from households and non-household municipal premises by 31 March 2027.
Extended Producer Responsibility payments will be provided to local authorities for the costs of collecting and managing household packaging waste through efficient and effective services. This includes the collection of additional packaging materials for recycling such as plastic films and flexibles.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage reductions in household waste.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to creating a roadmap to a circular economy – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer; waste is reduced; we accelerate the path to net zero; we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs; our economy prospers; and nature thrives.
We continue to support the Waste and Resources Action Programme in waste prevention activities including support for Textiles 2030 and Courtauld 2030.
Alongside this, the Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, no longer needing to check what their council will accept for recycling. Every household across England will be able to recycle the same materials across the following waste streams: metal; glass; plastic: paper and card; food waste; garden waste.
This policy will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, ensuring there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and stimulating the UK recycling industry will grow.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support economically inactive young people in (a) Stoke-on-Trent North constituency and (b) Kidsgrove into (i) education and (ii) employment.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under our plan to Get Britain Working, we are working closely with the Department for Education to develop a new Youth Guarantee that will ensure that all young people aged 18-21, in England, including those who are economically inactive can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. This will sit alongside; a new national jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, work health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open new opportunities for young people. We will set out further detail in the upcoming ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper.
Currently through the Youth Offer, we provide labour market support to young people aged 16-24 claiming Universal Credit through a range of tailored interventions to help reduce the barriers young people may face, bringing them closer to employment or appropriate training opportunities.
Recent examples of positive collaboration in Stoke on Trent North constituency include working with Movement to Work participants along with a local project Urban Wilderness and YMCA outreach to support vulnerable youth customers towards work offering additional support from Employment Advisors, community work and with the local council. For Work ready customers we are working with National Career Service, the Youth Employment Skills programme, and Stoke-on Trent and Newcastle college to deliver programmes that build on work experience.
In Kidsgrove, we have been working with Stoke on Trent College to promote suitable apprenticeship options with a view to extending this to more local partners. We also have a successful ongoing work experience offer with Browns Recycling.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the size of the global market for recycled rigid plastics; and what steps his Department is taking to develop (a) recycling capabilities of local authorities and (b) the global market for recycled rigid plastics.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In December 2018, the UK Government published its Resources and Waste Strategy. This sets out how we will achieve a circular economy for plastic and achieve our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. Our goal is to maximise resource efficiency and minimise waste (including plastic) - by following the principles of the waste hierarchy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – to keep plastic in circulation for longer. We will do this by making producers more responsible for the plastic they make with our incoming Collection and Packaging Reforms.
Simpler Recycling will make recycling clearer and more consistent across England. Local authorities will be required to collect the same materials from households in the following core groups: metal; glass; plastic: paper and card; food waste; garden waste by March 2026 (with plastic film collections being introduced by March 2027). This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, ensuring there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and the UK recycling industry will grow. As well as Simpler Recycling, we are introducing Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a Deposit Return Scheme.
To tackle the use of virgin plastics, the Government brought in the Plastic Packaging Tax in April 2022, a tax of over £200 per tonne on plastic packaging manufactured in, or imported into the UK, that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. We have since increased the tax to £217.85 per tonne and will continue to monitor the situation and adjust accordingly.
There is a growing global demand for recycled plastics, including recycled rigid plastics. For example, IMARC estimates the size of the global plastic recycling market in 2023 to be $42bn and projects it to grow to $62bn by 2032.
With 35% plastic content, the Government earlier this year consulted on measures to reduce the 155,000 tonnes of small electricals that are thrown in the bin annually. The government response will be published in due course.