Charities: Plastic Bags

(asked on 3rd June 2019) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to encourage charities to (a) stop using plastic bags to collect charity donations and (b) explore alternatives.


Answered by
Thérèse Coffey Portrait
Thérèse Coffey
This question was answered on 10th June 2019

The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy for England, published in December last year, sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution and move towards a more circular economy. This builds on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.

Following a public consultation in 2017, the Fundraising Regulator strengthened its Code of Practice, requiring charitable house to house collectors not to post collection bags to properties that indicate they do not wish to receive them, thus reducing the distribution of unwanted charity collection bags. The Waste and Resources Action Programme has also produced guidance to help local authorities and textiles collectors such as charities, waste management companies and textile merchants increase textile reuse and recycling and reduce the amount of textiles being disposed of in residual waste.

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