I have been contacted by many constituents on the issue of a plastic target, particularly in relation to the Big Plastic Count – the UK’s biggest investigation into household plastic waste.
The Government’s target is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste throughout the life of the 25 Year Environment Plan, but for the most problematic plastics, my ministerial colleagues are going faster, committing to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable or, perhaps more importantly, reusable by 2025.
Significant progress has been made in reducing single-use plastics. The use of single-use carrier bags has been reduced in the main supermarkets by over 98 per cent, and in May 2021, Ministers increased the charge to 10 pence and extended it to all retailers. Further, in October 2020, measures were brought in to ban the supply of plastic straws, plastic drinks stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds.
Last year, restrictions on a range of single-use plastics, including plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers came into force. I understand that England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery and over 700 million single-use plates per year, but only 10 per cent are recycled. This new ban is the next step in cracking down on harmful plastic waste.
Further, the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility will also encourage businesses to think carefully about how much plastic packaging they use, to design and use plastic packaging that is easily recyclable and encourage use of reusable and refillable packaging. These measures will reduce plastic waste and divert plastic packaging away from landfill and incineration.
I am aware that members of the UK Plastics Pact (UKPP), run by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and supported by the Government, have already voluntarily committed to reducing plastic waste, which the UKPP reports on annually. UKPP members are responsible for the majority of plastic packaging sold through UK supermarkets and approximately two thirds of all plastic packaging placed on the UK market. This reporting includes UKPP member progress towards eliminating a number of single-use plastic applications.
I understand a number of supermarkets have rolled out soft plastic collection points, which will collect and recycle tonnes of plastic every year. For example, shoppers at Tesco’s large stores can bring back any soft plastic packaging for recycling. The collection points allow customers to return all their previously unrecycled soft plastic, such as the clear film used to wrap meat and fish, crisp packets, fruit and veg bags and sweet wrappers, rather than throwing it away.
