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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

The Government’s resources and waste reforms for England

Status: Closed Opened: 20 Jul 2023 Closed: 8 Mar 2024 12 recommendations 13 conclusions 1 report

What we do with household, commercial, industrial, construction and demolition waste has economic and environmental consequences. Disposal of plastic, food and garden waste can release greenhouse gases and contribute to climate change; in 2021 alone, disposal and treatment of waste represented 6% of UK greenhouse gas emissions. In 2018, the Government published its Resource and …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifth Report - Government’s programme of waste reforms HC 333 1 Dec 2023 25 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
17 Conclusion Fifth Report - Government’s programme o… Deferred

Government lacks reliable methods to measure statutory resource efficiency targets for 2050 ambition.

The government considers that most of the damage to the environment from waste could be avoided at the design and production stages by considering the materials used in production and the ease with which products can be reused or repaired. It has an ambition to double resource efficiency (the use …

Government response. The government agrees with the committee's observation (after amending it), acknowledging that identifying clear policy pathways and agreeing on metrics for resource efficiency remain challenging. It commits to further research and will write to the committee in early 2025 to …
HM Treasury
18 Conclusion Fifth Report - Government’s programme o… Deferred

Stakeholders concerned government has not prioritised waste prevention and re-use sufficiently.

Stakeholders, including Green Alliance which provided us with written evidence, are concerned that government has not given waste prevention and re-use sufficient priority.36 The Department told us that it aims to push waste up the ‘waste hierarchy’ over time. The waste hierarchy ranks waste management options according to what is …

Government response. The government agrees with the committee's observation (after amending it to focus on resource productivity), but states that developing clear policy pathways and agreeing on metrics for resource efficiency remain challenging. It commits to further research and will write to …
HM Treasury
19 Recommendation Fifth Report - Government’s programme o… Deferred

Waste prevention programme lacks concrete measures and detailed implementation timelines.

The Department published a waste prevention programme for England in July 2023.38 It selected seven sectors to improve reuse and recycling, including textiles, waste electric equipment and batteries. The Department told us it plans to put out a consultation shortly on waste electricals and batteries to consult on improvements to …

Government response. The government agrees with the amended recommendation to double resource productivity but states that long-term policy pathways and metrics for resource efficiency are challenging and not yet agreed. It commits to further research and will write to the committee in …
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
11 Sep 2023 Emma Bourne OBE · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Jane Cunliffe · Department for Education, Sarah Homer · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education, Tamara Finkelstein CB · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs View ↗