Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about plastic pollution.
The Resources and Waste Strategy for England (available here: Resources and waste strategy for England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) sets out the Government’s plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more plastic than we do now. Ministers have committed to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable or reusable by 2025.
Significant progress has already been made to address plastic pollution, including a ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and restricting the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. The use of single-use carrier bags in the main supermarkets has been reduced by over 97 per cent. The charge for carrier bags was increased to ten pence and extended to all retailers. As a result of the carrier bag charge, the average person in England now buys just three single-use carrier bags a year from the main supermarkets, compared with 140 in 2014.
The Government is considering proposals to ban single-use plastic plates, cutlery, and balloon sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food and beverage containers, as well as other plastic items, including wet wipes and other single-use cups.
The Environment Act requires the Government to set at least one long-term target in the areas of resource efficiency and waste reduction. The Government recently consulted on its target to reduce residual waste. Over 180,000 submissions were received. As all of these responses need to be analysed and carefully considered, I am aware that it was not possible to publish these targets by 31 October, as required by the Act. I am assured by my ministerial colleagues that Defra is working at pace to lay draft statutory instruments as soon as practicable and I look forward to reading the Government’s response in due course.
I understand that setting individual, material-specific legally binding targets, such as a plastics waste reduction target, could risk shifting the environmental impact to other material types and could even lead to increases in residual waste due to switches to heavier materials. Ministers aim to take a holistic approach to all materials and avoid unintended substitution effects. As well as being significant global environmental waste and pollution issue, plastics are strong, durable, and versatile materials, bringing environmental and economic benefits. Setting targets that encourage reductions in our consumption of materials more broadly, not only plastics, will help ensure the best environmental outcome.
The export of plastic waste is subject to strict controls in legislation. Businesses must ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. Individuals and businesses found to be exporting waste in contravention of the legislation can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine.
The Government wants to deal with more of our waste at home and I understand Ministers committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries which are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Environment Act contains a power that will enable the Government to deliver on this commitment.
Finally, in April 2022, the Plastic Packaging Tax was introduced, which will incentivise plastic recycling. The Environment Act includes powers to create extended producer responsibility schemes; introduce deposit schemes; establish greater consistency in the recycling system; better control the export of plastic waste; and have the power to set new charges for other single-use items.
The Plastic Packaging Tax, which came into effect in April 2022, applies to plastic packaging with less than 30 per cent recycled content, and is charged at £200 per tonne. I understand that this tax applies to plastic packaging manufactured in or imported into the UK. This tax provides a clear economic incentive for businesses to use recycled plastic in the manufacture of plastic packaging, which will create a greater demand for this material. This in turn will stimulate increased levels of recycling and collection of plastic waste, diverting it away from landfill or incineration.
Further, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recently consulted on proposals to reform the UK packaging producer responsibility system, following a first consultation in 2019. These include measures to incentivise producers of packaging to make more sustainable decisions at the design stage and take greater responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products, including through introducing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. Packaging EPR would see producers fund the full net costs of managing packaging, including at the end of its life and for related activities such as communications campaigns to help achieve outcomes such as increased recycling.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
