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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the feasibility of banning the use of non-recyclable plastics in the UK.

The Government published its Resources and Waste Strategy in December last year which sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution.

We have committed to working towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

We are currently consulting on reforming existing packaging waste regulations, introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, and increasing consistency in the recycling system, which together we expect to drive major improvements in recycling rates. Industry is also committed to increasing the recyclability of plastic packaging, including through the world-leading UK Plastics Pact. We expect these initiatives by industry, combined with our reforms, to work together to eliminate from use the most problematic and difficult to recycle plastic packaging.

As the Resources and Waste Strategy makes clear, however, where progress is insufficient we will explore alternative policy measures, which may take the form of a ban as part of a wider strategic approach. We have already consulted on banning the distribution and/or sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds and will shortly be publishing a summary of responses. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products, including problematic packaging materials.