UK Inquiry Tracker

The Government’s resources and waste reforms for England

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 20 Jul 2023 Closed: 8 Mar 2024 Parliament page

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 … Read more

12 Recommendations

13 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

1 Event

Activity timeline 3 events

8 Mar
2024

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifth report from Session 2023-24

1 Dec
2023

Report published

Fifth Report - Government’s programme of waste reforms

11 Sep
2023

Oral evidence

Government’s programme of waste reform in England; The condition of school buildings

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

11 Sep 2023

View on parliament.uk

Government’s programme of waste reform in England; The condition of school buildings

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

Reports 1 report · click to expand

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

Recommendations & Conclusions

25 results

2 Conclusion

Fifth Report - Government’s progra…

Set firm dates for clarifying producer responsibility fees and publishing simpler recycling consultation response.

Businesses and local authorities still do not have the clarity they need from the Department to prepare for the changes that will be required, which risks increasing costs and delaying implementation. The collection and packaging reforms are reliant on businesses … Read more Businesses and local authorities still do not have the clarity they need from the Department to prepare for the changes that will be required, which risks increasing costs and delaying implementation. The collection and packaging reforms are reliant on businesses and consumers changing their behaviour by producing less, and recycling more. The lack of clarity on the requirements of the simpler recycling scheme, uncertainty around fees obligated companies will pay under the extended producer responsibility scheme and the impact of the payments to local authorities on their funding leaves businesses and local authorities unable to prepare. For example, this could result in all local authorities procuring new lorries and bins at around the same time, placing pressure on supply chains. It has been over two years since the Department closed its consultation on simpler recycling, and it has not yet finalised or published its requirements. The Department expects simpler recycling to increase recycling rates from 42% to 52–60% by 2035 which, without significant contributions from other projects, would leave it well short of its 2035 target to recycle 65% of municipal waste. Municipal waste is household waste and similar waste from other sources, for example from businesses. Continued uncertainty is actively hampering councils from investing and improving their services, delaying procurement, and undermining local authorities’ efforts to increase recycling rates. 6 Government’s programme of waste reforms Recommendation 2 a) The Department should, as part of its Treasury minute response, set a firm date for when it will set out the fees obligated companies (namely, those that produce packaging or sell packaged goods) will pay under the extended producer responsibility for packaging scheme, when it will clarify the impact of these payments for local authority funding, and when it will publish the government response to its consultation on simpler recycling. This consultation r Show less

HM Treasury

The Government’s resources and waste reforms for England

Activity timeline 3 events

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Recommendations & Conclusions

Set firm dates for clarifying producer responsibility fees and publishing simpler recycling consultation response.

Update Committee on international experience informing deposit return scheme design and roll-out.

Explain future measures and expected contributions to doubling resource efficiency by 2050.

Publish waste infrastructure plan and consult stakeholders on clarity for investment decisions.

Identify priority waste data gaps and set ambitious timescales for filling them.

Committee took evidence on government's programme of waste reforms.

Waste reform delays linked to external factors and poor programme management setup.

Department claims waste reform programme has been reset and fully resourced.

Department actively improving project capability, capacity, and resources across major programmes.

Lack of clarity hinders business and local authority preparation for packaging reforms.

Delay in publishing 'simpler recycling' requirements risks missing 2035 municipal recycling target.

Uncertainty regarding EPR scheme funding and timeline hinders local authority preparation and investment.

Department needs to clarify EPR fees for producers to drive packaging behaviour change.

Deposit return scheme estimated to cost £330 million annually after unredeemed deposits.

Uncertainties in deposit return scheme benefits and delayed Scottish launch raise value for money concerns.

Department not piloting deposit return scheme despite limited applicability of international comparators.

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

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

Waste prevention programme lacks concrete measures and detailed implementation timelines.

Insufficient clarity in waste policies impedes investment in recycling infrastructure.

Department's waste management vision lacks detail for effective business and local authority planning.

Significant data gaps and outdated information hinder waste production and recycling tracking.

Existing waste transfer data collection remains fragmented and uncollated centrally.

Slow progress observed on the crucial digital waste tracking system project.

Department monitors strategy progress and implements evaluation programme for data gaps.