Fifth Report - Government’s programme of waste reforms

Select Committee

Public Accounts Committee HC 333 1 December 2023

Report Status Government responded

Conclusions & Recommendations 25 items (12 recs)

Source View on Parliament website

Government Response (AI assessment · 25 of 25 classified)

Accepted 18

Accepted in Part 1

Acknowledged 2

Deferred 3

Not Addressed 1

Government response

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifth report from Session 2023-24 · published 8 Mar 2024

Read the government response ↗ Response on the tracker

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 results

2 Conclusion Acknowledged

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

Conclusion

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

Government Response Summary

The government agrees but its response details existing and ongoing work (CPR programme, WEEE, batteries regulations, MRMW) and future hopes without providing the firm dates or clarity requested for packaging fees, local authority funding impact, or the simpler recycling consultation response.

HM Treasury

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8 Conclusion Acknowledged

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

Conclusion

The Department told us that its recent work on the reforms has amounted to a wider reset of the programme’s approach, and the programme is now fully resourced.15 It believes it has now addressed the weaknesses in its approach to … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government agrees with the committee's observation, stating the November 2023 IPA review assessed the programme as 'amber' with concerns about DRS and pEPR. It commits to addressing outstanding issues via a detailed action plan and will update the committee by March 2024.

HM Treasury

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