Waste management and recycling: UK Government sets ambitious new targets

News

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced government commitments to recycle 65% of municipal waste and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill to 10% by 2035.

The Circular Economy Package (CEP), which will come into law later this year as part of the Environment Bill, introduces further steps to move the UK to a more circular economy in line with the Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy and its target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Measures in the CEP include restrictions on which materials can be landfilled or incinerated, and a requirement that waste - including food - which is separately collected for recycling is not incinerated or sent to landfill in order to keep more recyclable materials in circulation.

Other steps previously outlined in the strategy include having a consistent set of recyclable materials for collection in England, a deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use drinks containers, and an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system bringing in additional costs for packaging that is more difficult to reuse or recycle.

If members require any further information on the implications of the Environment Bill or other waste management issues, please email: [email protected]

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