The Environment Agency has placed the circular economy at the heart of a new 25-year plan.
The sustainability watchdog said it would ensure businesses made the best use of resources by 2050.
It said its “ambition for the environment” meant that by the mid-point of this century, “industries operate on circular economy principles”.
This was one of five key pledges in the plan, alongside cleaning up waters; encouraging greater biodiversity; incentivising nature-based solutions; and innovating with regulation.
Over the next five years to 2030, the Agency said it would implement waste collection and packaging reforms and regulate refuse exports to “support the move to a more circular economy”.
It added that it would “reduce requirements” for businesses with good environmental performance.
However, there was no direct mention of recycling in the 5,000-word report.
The Environment Agency said it would measure delivery of its target outcomes through regular strategy reviews, its annual business plan and a corporate scorecard.
