Three articles … in small steps the Government is moving to get a grip on single use plastics.

1. Budget 2018: Hammond confirms plastic tax to ‘transform economics of sustainable packaging’

The government is to introduce a new tax on plastic packaging as it seeks to ramp up efforts to tackle the scourge of litter and waste from single-use plastics, it was confirmed in the budget. Food and drink companies will be taxed on plastic packaging that does not include at least 30% recycled content, in a drive to reduce dependence on “virgin plastics” that are difficult or impossible to recycle, such as black food trays and plastic straws. But the new tax – subject to consultation – is not due to come into force until April 2022. It will cover plastics produced in the UK as well as those that have been imported. The chancellor also announced a £10m fund to stamp out fly-tipping, joking that the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell’s recent skirmish with a pile of rubbish near his home showed how dangerous it can be. Also unveiled was a further fund of £20m to tackle plastics and boost recycling; £10m for research and development and £10m to help fund innovative approaches to reducing litter, such as electronic smartbins   Click here to read more

2. The Government has set out its plan to ban the distribution and sale of plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds. The Government has today (22 October) set out its plan to ban the distribution and sale of plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds to protect our rivers and seas. The plan is subject to a consultation launched by Environment Secretary Michael Gove. In England, it is estimated that annually we use 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds. An estimated 10% of cotton buds are flushed down toilets and can end up in waterways and oceans. Even though non-plastic alternatives are readily available, these single-use plastic items are used for just a few minutes but take hundreds of years to break down. Cleaning up the effects of littering costs local Government millions of pounds every year. In order to eliminate these items from use, the Government intends to introduce a ban on their distribution and sale. The ban would come into force at some point between October 2019 and October 2020, subject to the views collected during consultation. We recognise there are instances where using plastic straws is necessary for medical reasons and our consultation seeks views on how to ensure those who need straws for medical and accessibility reasons can still use them. For example, pharmacies will still be able to sell plastic straws and restaurants, pubs and bars will be able to stock some straws for use on request. The Government will work closely with stakeholders to ensure these exemptions are crafted exactly right. Click here to read more

3. UK government signs global commitment to eliminate plastic pollution

250 organisations including the UK government and many of the world’s largest packaging producers, retailers, recyclers and NGOs have today signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment to eradicate plastic waste and pollution.   Signatories include Danone, H&M, L’Oréal, Mars, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, Burberry plc, and Unilever.

Signing the Commitment, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:   I am proud that today we have signed up to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. Plastic waste is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world. It is a global problem requiring a global solution. That’s why the UK Government has brought together the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance and Global Plastics Action Partnership. It’s also why I want to congratulate the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on their excellent work to help galvanise action. Only by unifying countries and businesses all over the world we will be able to safeguard our land, rivers and seas for future generations. Targets include:

• Eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and move from single-use to reuse packaging models;
• Innovate to ensure 100% of plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused, recycled, or composted by 2025;
• Circulate the plastic produced, by significantly increasing the amounts of plastics reused or recycled and made into new packaging or products.

The UK is making great strides to tackle the plastic that blights our streets, rivers and oceans – protecting wildlife from ingesting harmful plastic with our world-leading ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, and introducing a highly successful plastic bag charge which has seen 13 billion plastic bags taken out of circulation in the last two years alone. The government has also announced plans to extend the plastic bag charge to all retailers, last week launched a consultation on banning the sale of straws, plastic-stemmed cotton buds and stirrers, and will consult on introducing a deposit return scheme for single use drink containers later this year.

We will be announcing further measures to tackle plastic waste as part of our upcoming Resources and Waste Strategy which will be published later this year.