Mr Rogerson, who was appointed to Defra in October 2013, lost his South West constituency to Conservative challenger Scott Mann by 6,631 votes.
The MP from Bodmin, who has served as MP for North Cornwall since 2005, admitted in recent weeks that the battle had become a “two horse race” with Mr Mann.
The defeat reflects a bitter night for the Lib Dems, who at the time of writing are down from 57 to just eight seats across the UK.
Other Lib Dem casualties include heavyweights such as former Business Secretary Vince Cable, Energy Secretary Ed Davey, Charles Kennedy and political veteran Simon Hughes, who was first elected as an MP in 1983.
Nick Clegg meanwhile managed to secure his Sheffield Hallam seat by a small majority, although his future as leader of the Lib Dems now hangs in the balance.
Speaking after his re-election, Mr Clegg said it was “painfully clear this has been a cruel and painful night for the Liberal Democrats”.
Labour
The Labour Party also had a rocky night, having lost a total of 40 seats to the SNP, but its performance in England and Wales was also much worse than expected.
Labour leader Ed Miliband was re-elected in Doncaster North with a 12,000 majority, although his future at the head of the Party also remains uncertain. At the time of writing the Party has won a total of 228 seats.
Shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle and her shadow Defra colleague Barry Gardiner both came through the polls unscathed, as did Westminster’s All Party Sustainable Resource Group (APSRG) founder Barry Sheerman and Southampton MP Alan Whitehead.
The clear winner of the night looks to be the Conservative Party, which could sweep the polls with a majority government in the coming hours.
Tweeting after his re-election, current Prime Minister David Cameron said: “One nation, one United Kingdom – that is how I hope to govern if I am fortunate enough to continue as Prime Minister.”
What implications a Tory win will have on the waste industry are yet to be known, and the sector will await the appointment of a new recycling minister with interest. David Cameron is expected to appoint his new cabinet over the course of this weekend.
Liz Truss
Speculation has begun over whether Liz Truss – who comfortably won her South West Norfolk with an increased majority – will remain as the Secretary of State for Environment or be given a different cabinet post. Appointed to the cabinet in late 2014, Mrs Truss saw off a UKIP challenge in her constituency, returning 25,515 votes – 51% of the overall ballot.
Controversial communities secretary Eric Pickles has also comfortably retained his seat in Brentwood and Ongar – attracting 59% (30,534) of the votes. The champion of weekly waste collections saw off a local challenge from UKIP, whose candidate polled 17% of the votes.
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