Skip to main content

Recycling

Question for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

UIN 47857, tabled on 24 April 2025

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered introducing (a) performance standards and (b) other mandatory requirements for material recovery facilities to sort materials collected at kerbside under the Simpler Recycling in England policy.

Answered on

6 May 2025

Defra is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support MRF (Material Recovery Facility) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements.

We have engaged with MRF operators and local authorities through WRAP’s MRF Forum to identify challenges with MRF capacity, investment, upgrade timelines, and to work with the sector to identify interventions to support MRFs as they prepare for Simpler Recycling.

The MRF operators who are engaged with us are aware of their obligations and are working hard to upgrade their facilities to ensure they can separate the target materials as required by Simpler Recycling.

Named day
Named day questions only occur in the House of Commons. The MP tabling the question specifies the date on which they should receive an answer. MPs may not table more than five named day questions on a single day.