I have long believed – long before I became an MP – that plastic pollution is one of the gravest threats to our oceans, wildlife, and planet at large. Without urgent action to cut demand, it is estimated 34 billion tonnes of plastic will have been manufactured globally by 2050. I am determined that we should cut down on plastic waste as a society.
As Cheltenham’s MP, I launched and led the “Final Straw” campaign in Cheltenham, calling on the Council and local businesses to eradicate single-use plastic straws from our town. In Parliament, I voted to ban plastic microbeads, the tiny plastics in face wash and other cosmetic products, which make their way into our seas. That is now law. In addition, the introduction of a plastic bag charge has led to 9 billion fewer carrier bags in circulation, a drop of 83 per cent.
Recycling is also critical. I have been campaigning for the introduction of a bottle deposit return scheme (DRS) in England. This would mean that people would pay a small extra charge on their bottled goods from supermarkets, as a deposit, and are then returned the amount upon the return of their used bottles in a ‘reverse-vending machine’. I was particularly pleased that the Queen’s Speech set out a national plan for such a scheme.
It is important that we promote UK-based recycling and export less waste to be processed abroad. I am therefore pleased that we are recycling more in the UK than ever before. This is not only good for the environment but can boost economic growth and create jobs. Where the UK cannot currently recycle materials economically, exports can help ensure those materials are recycled in recipient countries. While there is a legitimate global market for secondary materials, it must be, and is, subject to strict controls.
UK and Turkey are both Parties to the United Nations Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal. The Convention provides a global system for controlling the export of hazardous wastes and wastes collected from households. The UK and Turkey are also both members of the OECD which provides the legal framework for the control of movements of wastes within member countries to ensure the environmentally sound and economically efficient recovery of waste. Legislation requires that those involved in the shipments of waste take all necessary steps to ensure waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling or recovery in the country of destination. The Environment Agency is the regulator for exports of waste from England and is looking into waste exports to Turkey.
Recycling is all well and good; but we also need to do all we can to stop producing so much waste in the first place. Our society must be more ‘resource efficient’, which not only eases pressure on the environment and our stocks of natural resource but reduces costs too, boosting productivity.
The Resources and Waste Strategy sets out plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more plastic than we do now. The target is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste throughout the life of the Government's 25 Year Environment Plan, but for the most problematic plastics Ministers are going faster and have committed to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
To keep products in circulation for longer Ministers are taking steps through the Environment Bill to require products to be designed to be durable, repairable, and recyclable, as well as legislating for the use of extended producer responsibility schemes in a way that incentivises more resource efficient design. The Bill also includes powers to enable other commitments to be delivered which will improve the quantity and quality of the materials we recycle. These include commitments to implement a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers and the introduction of consistent recycling collections across the country.
Further, my Ministerial colleagues have announced key details of the world leading Plastic Packaging Tax. The initial rate of the tax will be £200 per tonne and it will be paid by manufacturers and importers of plastic packaging that contains less than 30 per cent recycled plastic. Building on the microbeads ban, restrictions on the supply of plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds came into force on 1st October 2020, with exemptions to ensure that those with medical needs or a disability are able to continue to access plastic straws. Finally, since the plastic bag charge was first introduced in 2015, the Government has successfully prevented billions of plastic bags being sold and ending up in the ocean and environment. This charge has now been increased to 10p and extended to all retailers. It is anticipated that this extension will decrease the use of single-use carrier bags by 70-80 per cent in small and medium-sized businesses.
The UK continues to be a global leader in tackling plastic waste and I am encouraged by the Government's targets to increase recycling rates and reduce waste, including plastics. I would like to reassure you that my Ministerial colleagues are still committed to: eliminating avoidable waste by 2050; achieving a 65 per cent recycling rate for municipal (household-like) waste by 2035; working towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025; and eliminating avoidable plastic waste by 2042. I am assured that measures to achieve these targets have been set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy and the Environment Bill. I am also committed to these targets, and I will continue to monitor their progress closely.
