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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits on introducing a specific target for 2025 to reduce single use plastic by 50 per cent under the Environment Act.

We have not assessed the merits of introducing a specific plastic reduction target under the Environment Act 2021. We consulted earlier this year on a target for reducing all residual waste excluding major mineral waste which we consider will lead to a more holistic and balanced environmental outcome. Our consultation sets out the rationale for the Government’s proposed choice.