King's Speech omits 'priority for a zero waste economy' leading to calls for clarity

The King's Speech, outlining the new government's legislative agenda, notably lacked any mention of legislation to promote a zero waste economy, despite this being identified as a priority by the new Defra secretary of state.

The new Government has yet to affirm or update the previous administration's policies on extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging and a UK-wide deposit return scheme (DRS) by 2027, as well as requirements for consistency collection of households’ recycling.

While environmental legislation was largely absent, the speech did introduce a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue Support Mechanism) Bill, aimed at supporting the production of sustainable aviation fuel in the UK.

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill, one of the few environmentally-focused pieces of legislation mentioned, aims to provide revenue certainty to encourage investment in SAF plant construction across the UK. The government estimates that SAF production could add over £1.8 billion to the economy and support over 10,000 jobs. The bill is seen as a step towards decarbonizing air travel, with SAF reportedly producing 70 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions than fossil jet fuel on a life cycle basis.

Industry leaders have expressed concern over the lack of focus on waste and recycling policies. Dr Adam Read MBE, Chief Sustainability & External Affairs Officer at SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, commented: "Today was a missed opportunity to bring forward vital reforms for our sector. We are calling for urgent action from the government to set out new proposals for more effective and consistent local collections, making it easier for millions of people to recycle everyday household items."

Michael Topham, Biffa CEO, noted the absence of specific new legislation but highlighted the role of the previous administration’s plans: "There are key policies already in play such as the Plastic Tax, Simpler Recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility and the Deposit Return Scheme that the industry is working with the Government to implement. What we need now is a period of certainty to enable the waste sector to deliver the investment it needs."

Some environmental campaigners see the speech as a broader missed opportunity. Jane Martin, CEO of City to Sea, said: "In over 30 Bills, the government failed to mention the environment once, and for all of us looking to hear about single-use plastic, the silence spoke volumes."

Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet and PlasticFree, added: "The Labour Party once proposed a gold standard circular economy, but now they are prioritising a zero-waste economy, using the terms interchangeably. While both approaches recognise the failure of our current linear, take-make-waste system, a circular economy focuses on closing the loop and redesigning products upstream, rather than just managing the toxic debris at the bottom of it."