The Liberal Democrats have outlined a series of pledges on waste and recycling in the Party’s General Election manifesto, including a 70% recycling target and proposal to end waste plastic exports by 2030.
The manifesto is due to be launched later today
The manifesto is due to be officially launched by Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson later this afternoon in Camden, London.
Many of the measures would be delivered under a Zero-Waste and Resource Efficiency Act which also see the party extending separate food waste collections to at least 90 per cent of homes by 2024 and strengthening incentives to reduce packaging and waste sent to landfill and incineration.
Legally binding targets to reduce the consumption of key natural resources and other incentives to improve resource efficiency are also among the party’s pledges.
Today’s manifesto states: “The successful economies of the future will be those which adopt ‘circular economy’ techniques, cutting resource use, waste and pollution by maximising recovery, reuse, recycling and remanufacturing.
“This will cut costs for consumers and businesses, protect the environment and create new jobs and enterprises.”
Target
The 70% recycling target echoes a previous pledge made by the Liberal Democrats in their 2017 manifesto (see letsrecycle.com story). The EU Circular Economy Package also includes a 70% packaging recycling target for 2030.
Earlier this year at LARAC’s local authority conference (see letsrecycle.com story), the Lib Dem’s spokesperson on environmental issues in the House of Lords, Baroness Huntingdon-Mandeville, said the party’s next manifesto would “include measures to cut waste, increase recycling and reuse and… have a target for the complete elimination of single use plastic in three years.”
This target appears in today’s manifesto and is described as “a first step towards ending the ‘throwaway society’ culture and an ambition to end plastic waste exports by 2030.”
Other policies include extending the forthcoming EU ‘right to repair’ legislation for consumer goods to help small repair businesses and community groups combat ‘planned obsolescence’.
The manifesto says: “Given the right support, British businesses have the chance to be world leaders in green technology.”
While major pledges include recruiting 20,000 more teachers and legalising cannabis, the Lib Dem’s flagship policy remains revoking Article 50 and stopping Brexit.
The words “Stop Brexit – build a brighter future” are emblazoned across the manifesto’s front cover.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
