The chief executive of plastics charity RECOUP has questioned why a consultation on single use plastics tax was undertaken by the treasury, and not Defra, and has called for “more joined up thinking”.
Stuart Foster joined calls for a ‘joined up’ approach
The claim was made at the charities annual conference last week in Peterborough.
The conference was opened by Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya, who appeared as the special guest. Ms Onasanya stated that she asked to be a part of the event to find out thoughts and ideas as to how plastic can be used without it leaking into the environment.
“Now more than ever it is important we address the immediate effect plastic are having on the environment. We really need to think about this, I am not against plastic but we need to look at how recyclable it is, which is why I asked to be here today,” the Labour MP explained.
She added: “I believe that given studies have shown that 90% or more people would recycle if easier to do so, there is more we can do. DRS and public recycling initiatives are being brought into Peterborough which I am happy to share and commend.”
RECOUP membership
Following on from Ms Onasanya was Stuart Foster, chief executive of the plastics recycling charity, who revealed that membership numbers have soared in the last year as interest in plastics recycling increases.
Mr Foster went on to say that he hopes the “fundamental shift” in attitudes across the board leads to a joined up approach from government to tackle issue.
He said: “To back up the intentions in the 25 year environment plan, Defra has no choice but to make the Resources Strategy robust and effective, with measures that are meaningful.
“The pressure is on them and central government to make sure they get it right and achieve balance, and bring together legislation and policies. I am however seriously questioning why single-use plastic taxes is a separate measure being looked at by the treasury, there must be joined up thinking, preferably led by Defra.”
The charity’s chief also then called on retailers to set aside 20% of the plastic bag tax to give to RECOUP and also for local authorities to work towards making the entire process easier.
Panel
The panel discussion saw Andy Rees, head of waste strategy at the Welsh Government, begin by recapping some of the policies which have led Wales to increase its recycling rates.
This included statutory recycling targets, with councils facing fines if not met and mandatory food waste collections.
“We’re doing OK but we are not complacent. We can see issues around the complexity of recycling, and waste on beaches for example,” he said.
“Although we are doing well in recycling we want to achieve more. Half of our residual waste is made up of recyclable items, so doing the sums shows that 80% is easy to reach, and can be done easily. We will look to introduce this by 2035, subject to consultation.”
“RECOUP recently published documents which showed that we are doing well with plastics, with only one local authority not collecting PTT plastic, for example. This has been down to statutory targets and a lot of money we have given to local authorities to help with this.”
Looking forward, Mr Rees said the government will be aiming to “reduce the amount of plastic being exported for recycling to a maximum of 20%, alongside increased local authority recycling targets, with a focus on quality as well.
ASDA
RECOUP says a record number of people attended the conference
From a retail perspective, Shane Monkman, senior buying manager for packaging & operations at ASDA, again touched upon the increased interest in plastics recycling he has seen.
Mr Monkman said that people of a range of ages have been writing in to either complain or enquire about plastic usage in ASDA stores. He also pointed to certain initiatives ASDA has taken, with some reducing up to 6,000 tonnes of plastic usage
“We are a retail business, and unashamedly focused on the bottom line of our business. If we change from one material to the other it means significant investment in factories, and changing suppliers, it becomes a very big number to invest.
“Trying to understand how we combine this is a challenge, undoubtedly. As well as competitor challenges, we all want similar things, which are encouraging, and there is a real opportunity to have a consistent pull on this.”
Campaigns
Mr Monkman was followed on stage by Elena Polisano, of Greenpeace, who explained some of the campaigns the group is running, and also how it has capitalised on the recent increased interest in plastics recycling and prevention.
Chris Brown, managing director of Clean Tech UK, used his talk to highlight the importance of “safeguarding” council income once new legislation comes into place.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
