I would like to assure you that the Government is committed to preventing waste. Ministers are targeting the sectors responsible for the biggest impacts on the environment and are working with business to take the right steps for better use of our precious resources.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced new plans to set out its long-term aims to use fewer new resources, drive up the repair and reuse of existing materials, and increase recycling. The ‘Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste’ programme brings together a range of measures backed by Government funding which will help to keep products and materials in circulation for as long as possible and at their highest value, including through increasing reuse, repair and remanufacture, helping to grow the economy and boost employment.
The programme sets out the Government’s intentions on waste prevention in three areas: designing out waste; systems and services; and data and information. This will be carried out across seven key sectors: construction; textiles; furniture; electronics; food; road vehicles; and plastics.
Examples of actions include tackling fast fashion by keeping textiles out of landfill and in circulation for longer through reuse and recycling, as well as ensuring that vapes are properly disposed of by consulting the public and strengthening take-back requirements for retailers and online sellers.
Further plans announced by Defra include scrapping fees for households to have bulky domestic furniture collected from their homes by retailers by 2025. This will save people money and make it easier for them to recycle furniture so it can be reused and will also help to prevent fly tipping. The Government remains committed to delivering on its commitments to eliminating avoidable waste by 2050 and recycle 65 per cent of municipal waste by 2035.