Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to incentivise producers of packaging to use recycled plastic in their products.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The UK’s Packaging Waste Regulations impose obligations on large producers to fund the recycling of a proportion of the packaging waste that arises in line with their market share. We have made great progress in boosting recycling rates and making more products recyclable – including doubling the recycling of plastic packaging waste over the last thirteen years – but there is still much more to be done.
Tackling waste, especially waste plastic, is a key priority for the Government. The Clean Growth Strategy, published on 12 October 2017, commits us to move towards zero avoidable waste by 2050 and announced that we are exploring changes to the packaging producer responsibility scheme. This will look at all aspects of the regime, including mechanisms to incentivise better design, encourage the use of recycled material and provide greater transparency for producer funding.
More detail will be announced in the Resources and Waste Strategy, which will be published later this year.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that fewer plastic bottles (a) are incinerated, (b) go to landfill and (c) littered on land or at sea.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
As part of the Litter Strategy for England, the Government has established the independent Voluntary and Economic Incentives working group. In autumn last year this working group held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. This included seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit and reward and return schemes. The working group analysed responses to this call for evidence and provided advice to Ministers on potential incentives for drinks containers, including plastic bottles this month., Ministers are now considering the working group’s report.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme and industry led Consistency Framework has a vision that all households in England are able to recycle the same core set of materials, including plastic bottles. The waste hierarchy places prevention at the top as it offers the best outcome for the environment, followed by preparing for reuse, recycling, other recovery (which includes energy from waste, via incineration) and then disposal. Landfill should only be considered as a last resort.
The Litter Strategy sets out our aim to clean up the country and deliver a substantial reduction in litter and littering within a generation. The Litter Strategy brings together communities, businesses, charities and schools to bring about real change by focusing on three key themes: education and awareness, improving enforcement, and better cleaning and access to bins. A copy of the Litter Strategy can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/litter-strategy-for-england.
As marine litter is a transboundary problem we work with other countries to address it, particularly through the Oslo and Paris Conventions for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, G7, G20 and the UN Environment Programme.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals for introducing a deposit return scheme for all PET plastic drinks bottles.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
As part of the Litter Strategy for England, the Government has established the independent Voluntary and Economic Incentives working group.
From 2 October to 20 November 2017 this working group held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. The focus was rigid and flexible plastic, glass or metal drinks containers that are sold sealed and used for the sale of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, often for consumption ‘on the go’. This included seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit and reward and return schemes.
The working group is currently analysing responses to this call for evidence, and is due to provide advice to Ministers on potential incentives for drinks containers shortly.
Defra continues to work closely with the devolved administrations in delivering our shared ambitions to improve recycling outcomes in the UK.
The Government is developing a new Resources and Waste Strategy that will be published this year. This will set out the detail of how we will meet the ambitions for resources and waste that are set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, Industrial Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a deposit return scheme for beverage containers other than plastic bottles as part of his Department's waste strategy.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
As part of the Litter Strategy for England, the Government has established the independent Voluntary and Economic Incentives working group.
From 2 October to 20 November 2017 this working group held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. The focus was rigid and flexible plastic, glass or metal drinks containers that are sold sealed and used for the sale of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, often for consumption ‘on the go’. This included seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit and reward and return schemes.
The working group is currently analysing responses to this call for evidence, and is due to provide advice to Ministers on potential incentives for drinks containers shortly.
Defra continues to work closely with the devolved administrations in delivering our shared ambitions to improve recycling outcomes in the UK.
The Government is developing a new Resources and Waste Strategy that will be published this year. This will set out the detail of how we will meet the ambitions for resources and waste that are set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, Industrial Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussion officials of his Department have had with representatives of Zero Waste Scotland on the potential merits of introducing a legislated deposit return scheme for plastic bottles.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
As part of the Litter Strategy for England, the Government has established the independent Voluntary and Economic Incentives working group.
From 2 October to 20 November 2017 this working group held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. The focus was rigid and flexible plastic, glass or metal drinks containers that are sold sealed and used for the sale of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, often for consumption ‘on the go’. This included seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit and reward and return schemes.
The working group is currently analysing responses to this call for evidence, and is due to provide advice to Ministers on potential incentives for drinks containers shortly.
Defra continues to work closely with the devolved administrations in delivering our shared ambitions to improve recycling outcomes in the UK.
The Government is developing a new Resources and Waste Strategy that will be published this year. This will set out the detail of how we will meet the ambitions for resources and waste that are set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, Industrial Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2018 to Question 120934, what proportion of (a) the £3.5 billion air quality plan, and (b) the £475 million for local authority implementation will be awarded to (i) the West Midlands and (ii) Birmingham City Council.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The £3.5 billion committed to support the improvement of air quality consists of funding that supports various strategies like cycling and walking and grants for cleaner transport. It does not set specific allocations by areas and future funding awards cannot be prejudged. Examples of grants that have been awarded to the West Midlands are £39m for Birmingham Cycle Revolution, £6.9m for new low emissions buses and £1.1m for retrofitting buses and taxis, and £4.6m across Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry to support infrastructure for electric taxis.
The £475 million is focused on supporting the local authorities with the most significant air quality challenges. Birmingham City Council and Coventry City Council have been required to draw up local plans to accelerate action to improve air quality. To date, they have been awarded £1.4 million between them to support their feasibility studies, and a further £1.2 million to Birmingham City Council to support implementation of early measures such as traffic management infrastructure. Most of the £475 million is still to be awarded, following the development of local plans.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2017 to Question 115085, what types of meter the Waste Electrical and Electronic Regulations (a) does and (b) does not apply to.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Guidance for producers published by the Environment Agency states that digital utility meters are within the scope of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013. Analogue utility meters are out of scope.
Where energy suppliers, their installation contractors, or meter asset providers acting on their behalf remove meters and intend to discard them as waste (through disposal, recycling or preparation for re-use), because the original manufacturer cannot be verified, they must comply with the waste duty of care legislation. If they do not intend to discard the meters as waste then the waste duty of care legislation does not apply.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2017 to Question 115085, whether for energy meters to which the Waste Electrical and Electronic Regulations apply provision exists under the duty of care for such meters to be disposed of in the event that the original manufacturer cannot be verified.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Guidance for producers published by the Environment Agency states that digital utility meters are within the scope of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013. Analogue utility meters are out of scope.
Where energy suppliers, their installation contractors, or meter asset providers acting on their behalf remove meters and intend to discard them as waste (through disposal, recycling or preparation for re-use), because the original manufacturer cannot be verified, they must comply with the waste duty of care legislation. If they do not intend to discard the meters as waste then the waste duty of care legislation does not apply.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will expand the national network of clean air zones.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations, published in July 2017, sets out the Government’s approach to improving air quality in the shortest possible time. The plan states that due to the highly localised nature of the problem, local knowledge will be crucial to solving pollution problems in these hotspots. We have put in place a £3,5 billion air quality plan, including £475 million specifically to help local authorities develop and implement their plans.
There are a range of measures local authorities can introduce, such as retrofitting buses, changing road layouts or introducing Clean Air Zones should they consider this an appropriate solution. Local authorities already have the powers required to introduce Clean Air Zones under the Transport Act 2000. A framework published in May 2017 provides guidance on the approach local authorities should take to the introduction of Clean Air Zones.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the Environment Agency's capacity to maintain those navigable waterways for which it is responsible.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
As a navigation authority, the Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for over 621 miles of inland waterways. It has been reviewing the future costs required to run and maintain these waterways and, along with the Canal and River Trust (C&RT), has been working to develop proposals for a possible transfer of its navigation responsibilities and assets to the C&RT.
I met the Chairman and Chief Executive of the C&RT recently for initial discussions on proposals for a transfer. We will now look to hold further discussions with both the EA and the C&RT on possible next steps.