Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for textiles.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the environmental impact of the textiles industry, which is why we identified textiles as a priority waste stream in our 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy for England
In 2021 Defra funded WRAP's Textiles 2030 programme, a voluntary business initiative with ambitious carbon and water targets. Signatories represent over 62% of clothing put on the UK market
We are considering the merits of an EPR scheme within a policy framework while we assess options to reduce waste and the environmental impact of textiles.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 increase the provision for the recycling of medicine blister packets.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
HM Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. We want all local waste authorities in England to collect the same core set of materials for recycling, including plastics. Our approach is focused on increasing both the supply of materials for recycling and demand for secondary materials to be used in the manufacture of new products and packaging.
Blister packs are difficult to recycle due to the mix of different materials they are made from and, as such, tend not to be collected through kerbside recycling services. There are currently no plans to specifically increase the provision for the recycling of medical blister packs. However, the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging will place financial responsibility on businesses for the cost of managing packaging waste generated by households, including medical blister packets. This provides a strong financial incentive for businesses to make better, more sustainable decisions in their design and use of packaging, and to take greater responsibility for the environmental impacts of the packaging they use.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent research examining the presence of microplastics in human blood.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
HM Government is taking decisive action to fight plastic waste including through minimum charges on single-use items; a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers; and ensuring producers cover the costs of collecting and managing plastic packaging waste.
In 2021, the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) published an overarching statement on potential risks from exposure to microplastics. The COT made a number of proposals for research priorities to aid risk assessment of microplastics, and concluded that "based on the available data, it is not yet possible to perform a complete assessment for the potential risks from exposure to micro- and nano-plastics via the oral and inhalation routes". Subsequently, COT has published a sub-statement focusing on the oral route and a sub-statement on the inhalation route is in preparation.
As set out in the 2022-2023 UK REACH Work Programme, we are reviewing intentionally added microplastics and the risks they pose to human health and the environment. The results will help to inform HM Government's approach to managing any risks whether through UK REACH or other routes.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to publish a chemicals strategy on the potential impact of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a group of thousands of chemicals, with hundreds used commercially across many sectors of industry and society. There is increasing evidence of the occurrence of PFAS in the environment and, once in the environment, PFAS are persistent. There is also growing concern regarding the risks to human health. Action has already been taken to ban or highly restrict specific PFAS both domestically and internationally. However, PFAS represent a very diverse group of chemicals with a wide range of uses for which safer and more sustainable alternatives are not yet available - making this a very challenging issue to tackle.
Work is underway across government to help us assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform future policy and regulatory approaches. In the UK REACH Work Programme for 2021-22, Defra asked the EA and HSE to examine the risks posed by PFAS and develop a 'Regulatory Management Options Analysis' (RMOA). The RMOA will be published in early 2023 and will make recommendations for risk management measures. Defra and the Devolved Administrations will carefully consider its recommendations to inform future PFAS policy.
We have also been engaging closely with external partners over the past few months to inform policy development across a range of chemicals issues, including on PFAS. This builds on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to set out our strategy to tackling chemicals of concern. No publication date for a Chemicals Strategy has yet been set.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 prevent microfibre plastic pollution.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I know of the hon. Member’s commitment to addressing plastic pollution, and in particular the issue of microfibres, where he has ably chaired an All-Party Parliamentary Group. Following the report of that APPG, Defra commissioned a rapid evidence assessment to understand the potential impact of this proposal.
Along with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, we are reviewing the assessment report, and considering what action, if any, is appropriate.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure washing machines are fitted with microfibre plastic capture filters.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I know of the hon. Member’s commitment to addressing plastic pollution, and in particular the issue of microfibres, where he has ably chaired an All-Party Parliamentary Group. Following the report of that APPG, Defra commissioned a rapid evidence assessment to understand the potential impact of this proposal.
Along with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, we are reviewing the assessment report, and considering what action, if any, is appropriate.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a fast-food sales levy to help tackle the amount of packing discarded illegally from those businesses.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Tackling litter is a priority for the Government, which is why we are taking measures to reduce packaging waste and increase the amount of 'on-the-go' packaging that is recycled or reused. Last year we consulted on the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers and Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging. We will publish a government response to each consultation detailing our final policy positions in early 2022. We have no plans to introduce a fast-food sales levy.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 reduce the use of single-use plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables in supermarkets.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are taking action to reduce single use plastic packaging for all products in supermarkets, with whom we meet regularly.
We are planning to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, which will place responsibility on producers for the full cost of managing their packaging waste, powerfully incentivising them to cut waste wherever possible. The Government’s Plastic Packaging Tax comes in from April and will see a charge of £200 per tonne on plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content, helping to support the use of increasingly sustainable packaging.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has published guidance on the sale of loose and prepacked foods and we continue to explore opportunities to provide the best environmental outcome, reduce household food waste and the provision of unnecessary single-use plastic packaging.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a 1p levy per garment at the point of retail to fund improved clothing recycling and collection.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government’s Resources & Waste Strategy identified textiles as one of five priority sectors for consideration of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Our draft Waste Prevention Programme, recently consulted on, affirms this commitment and sets out our consultation approach.
We have commenced the process of developing options, with EPR at the core but also including complementary policies. We will consult with stakeholders on policy options by the end of 2022.
As part of this policy development, we will consider the fee levels required to drive industry change and support real reprocessing costs. We will take on board the experience in France, which has faced challenges in doing so.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 introduce an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for textiles.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government’s Resources & Waste Strategy identified textiles as one of five priority sectors for consideration of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Our draft Waste Prevention Programme, recently consulted on, affirms this commitment and sets out our consultation approach.
We have commenced the process of developing options, with EPR at the core but also including complementary policies. We will consult with stakeholders on policy options by the end of 2022.
As part of this policy development, we will consider the fee levels required to drive industry change and support real reprocessing costs. We will take on board the experience in France, which has faced challenges in doing so.