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 to reduce plastic pollution in rivers and streams.

The Government published the Resources and Waste strategy in December last year, setting out our plans to reduce plastic pollution with a target to eliminate all avoidable waste throughout the life of the 25 Year Environment Plan. Estimates show that the majority of aquatic litter originates from land based sources therefore our main approach to stemming the flow is by taking action on land.

We have already consulted on banning plastic straws, stirrers, cotton buds and extending the carrier bag charge. Since the introduction of the charge in 2015, 15.6 billion fewer bags have been handed out to shoppers by the seven main retailers. We are currently consulting on a number of key policy measures to significantly change the way that we manage our waste. These include: reforming existing packaging waste regulations; exploring the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers; and increasing consistency in the recycling system; with a parallel consultation on the ‘Plastic Packaging Tax’ that the Chancellor announced in the Budget last year. Legislative proposals will be developed taking account of the consultation responses.

The UK is already making great strides to tackle the plastic that blights our streets, rivers and oceans. Our world-leading ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics and personal care products will help stop potentially billions of tiny pieces of plastic from entering the aquatic environment every year. We have also announced a £200,000 research project which will focus on microplastics derived from tyres and clothing. This will report shortly, and the evidence will help us develop policies to tackle the problem effectively.

Through its seven-point plan on plastics, the Environment Agency (EA) is exploring additional ways in which regulatory and voluntary initiatives could reduce plastics entering both the marine, and freshwater environments. The EA are working closely with the water industry and leading academics to investigate the types and quantities of microplastics entering the environment to identify where best to focus our efforts.

Wastewater treatment works are important pathways for contaminants, including microplastics, to enter the wider aquatic environment. Over £9 billion has been invested in England and Wales between 1990 and 2010 to improve sewage treatment works and collecting systems to limit polluting events, and £2 billion more is planned by 2020.