The House of Commons Library has published a briefing paper on plastic waste in the UK ahead of potential legislative changes to come later in the year.
The government is exploring proposals for a deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, consistency in recycling collections in England and reform of the extended producer responsibility systems. Initially introduced as part of the government’s resources and waste strategy in December 2018, the proposals are now included in the Environment Bill.
An estimated five million tonnes of plastic is used in the UK every year
In July 2020, recycling minister Rebecca Pow indicated formal second stage consultations on the three areas of proposed legislation would take place in early 2020 (see letsrecycle.com story).
The briefing, published on 22 December 2020, is intended to provide an overview of the issue of plastic waste in Britain today. It paints a deliberately broad and wide-ranging picture of how the government views plastic waste.
According to the briefing, the government under former Prime Minister Theresa May had a strategic ambition to “work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025”. This followed commitments to leave the environment in a better condition for the next generation, an “ambition” of zero avoidable waste by 2050 and a “target” of eliminating avoidable plastic waste by end of 2042.
The briefing can be read in full here.
Briefing
It is estimated that five million tonnes of plastic is used in the UK every year, nearly half of which is packaging.
The briefing paper describes several of the current issues affecting the sector, including the ban by China on accepting certain types of plastic waste and some of the terminology problems that arise when describing plastic.
It refers to EU law, pointing to the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy. This includes a recently agreed Single Use Plastic Directive which will ban specified items of single use plastic. With the Brexit transition period having ended on 31 December, this will be transposed into UK law in 2021.
The briefing notes there has been some concern about the environmental consequences of an increase use of plastic products during the Covid-19 pandemic and about a delay to environmental legislation.
Several voluntary initiatives are referred to, including the Plastics Pact, the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan (PIRAP) and the UK Circular Plastics Network (UKCPN).
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
