{"id":473,"date":"2025-12-02T13:28:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T13:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/02\/uk-government-targets-50-cut-in-residual-waste-by-2042\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T13:28:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T13:28:08","slug":"uk-government-targets-50-cut-in-residual-waste-by-2042","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/02\/uk-government-targets-50-cut-in-residual-waste-by-2042\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Government targets 50% cut in residual waste by 2042"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0<\/div>\n

\"parliament\"<\/h4>\n

UK Government targets 50% cut to residual waste by 2042 as part of revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP).<\/h4>\n

The EIP sets out a five-year roadmap<\/a> to tackle the nature and climate crisis, improve public health, and support growth.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the plan, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: \u201cOur environment faces real challenges,\u202fwith pollution in our waterways, air quality that\u2019s too low in many areas, and treasured species in decline.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis plan marks a step change\u202fin\u202frestoring\u202fnature.\u202fOur\u202fambitious targets are backed by real action\u202fto\u202fcut harmful air pollutants,\u202frevive\u00a0habitats\u202fand\u202fprotect\u202fthe environment for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plan includes eight interim targets for the Environment Act waste target, which the government says will mainly be achieved through the collection and packaging reforms. The revised plan pushes back the interim target dates from 31 January 2028 to December 2030.<\/p>\n

The interim targets require the UK to reduce residual waste, excluding major mineral waste, to no more than 437 kg per person by the end of December 2030, based on the most recent full calendar year.<\/p>\n

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) welcomed the ‘ambitious’ targets and said they\u2019re a challenge the resources and waste sector can deliver on with the right policy and regulatory support.<\/p>\n

Director of Policy, Communications and External Affairs, Dan Cooke, said: \u201cA fundamental shift in how resources are valued and managed is required. The entire value chain, including manufacturers, local authorities, our sector and households, must be empowered and incentivised to prioritise waste prevention and maximise circularity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCIWM will work with government, our members, and the wider sector to support the delivery of this plan, accelerating the transition towards a circular economy and safeguarding quality environments for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooke also welcomed that the 2025 EIP \u2018rightly acknowledges\u2019 that criminal activity and waste crime are threats to a circular economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe commitments to carrier, brokers, dealers reform, the introduction of a digital waste tracking service, and permitting and exemptions reforms are welcome, but CIWM urges government to be more ambitious in its targets to reduce illegal waste sites and fly-tipping incidents, and to work with CIWM, regulators and others on a defined plan to achieve this,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

The EIP also includes the \u2018first-ever\u2019 plan to reduce the risks from \u2018forever chemicals\u2019, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances<\/a> (PFAS), to health and the environment.<\/p>\n

Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder of A Plastic Planet and Plastic Health Council, welcomed the national review into \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 but called for PFAS to be banned and phased out.<\/p>\n

\u201cPFAS persist, build up in our bodies, and fuel a growing health crisis while industry avoids responsibility. The review of sewage-sludge spreading highlights how deeply these forever chemicals have infiltrated our food system,\u201d Sutherland said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA plan without deadlines, bans, and clear responsibility for cleanup leaves the public exposed. The government must turn this first step into decisive action that removes PFAS from production and use. Anything less leaves families and our environment to absorb the cost of inaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Gudgeon, Head of External Affairs at Reconomy Connect, welcomed the revised EIP and said the targets were ambitious.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government sees its three flagship collection and packaging reforms as the critical levers for delivering these targets, with evidence suggesting they could provide the majority of the reductions required,\u201d Gudgeon said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post UK Government targets 50% cut in residual waste by 2042<\/a> appeared first on Circular Online<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UK Government targets 50% cut to residual waste by 2042 as part of revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP).
\nThe post UK Government targets 50% cut in residual waste by 2042 appeared first on Circ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-energy-and-environment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grid-architecture.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}