Plastics

(asked on 16th March 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has further to help reduce dependency on single-use plastics items.


Answered by
Thérèse Coffey Portrait
Thérèse Coffey
This question was answered on 29th March 2018

We published our 25 Year Environment Plan on 11 January that stated our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste and, in particular, the waste from single-use plastics. The steps we will be taking to do this include introducing a DRS subject to consultation; exploring the introduction of plastic-free aisles by retailers; exploring how we can develop our producer responsibility schemes to give producers more incentives to design more resource efficient products; and looking at the compulsory extension of the carrier bag charge to small retailers.

In addition the Treasury published a call for evidence on 13 March that is seeking views on how the tax system or charges could reduce the amount of single-use plastics we use and, as a consequence, the waste that arises from that use by reducing the unnecessary production of these items; increasing reuse wherever feasible; and improving the levels of recycling.

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