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Parliamentary Committee announce new inquiry tackling vast
quantities of plastic waste produced every year in the UK
It is estimated that five million tonnes of
plastic are used in the UK every year, of which almost
half is packaging. By 2042, the Government has
set a target of eliminating all
'avoidable' plastic waste, with measures including a
plastic packaging tax
and deposit return scheme
introduced in pursuit of this goal. Today, the House of
Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA)
Committee launch anew inquiry into
Plastic Waste, scrutinising how the UK
Government intends to tackle its plastics problem, and whether
its targets go far enough.
Despite high-profile campaigns to encourage recycling and reduce
plastic use, just 32% of all plastic is
currently recycled. Concerns have also been raised regarding the
volume of plastic packaging waste- equivalent to three and a half
Olympic swimming pools' worth of plastics every day- that is
exported to other countries, where some has been found to end up being
dumped or burnt rather than recycled.
The cross-party Committee will now be exploring the measures
announced by the Government to achieve both its 2042 goal, and
its shorter-term ambition of working towards only recyclable,
reusable or compostable plastic packaging being placed on the
market by 2025. MPs will also question how alternatives to
plastic can be found and supported, and what more can be done to
ensure that plastic waste is not sent abroad simply to be dumped.
, Chair of the EFRA Committee, said:
"We have a plastics problem. Over the past 18 months,
even the most environmentally conscious of us have had to resort
to single-use plastics in our efforts to control the spread of
covid-19. But the tide must turn on plastic use, and
fast.
"The Government has announced many new measures to combat
our reliance on disposable packaging and products. It is
essential that these measures go far- and fast- enough, and that
we do not just end up exporting our problem overseas."
The Committee is seeking answers to the following questions, with
an initial deadline of 10th September:
- What measures should the UK Government take to reduce the
production and disposal of single-use plastics in England? Are
the measures announced so far, including a ban on certain
single-use plastics and a plastic packaging tax, sufficient?
- How should alternatives to plastic consumption be identified
and supported, without resorting to more environmentally damaging
options?
- Is the UK Government’s target of eliminating avoidable
plastic waste by 2042 ambitious enough?
- Will the UK Government be able to achieve its shorter-term
ambition of working towards all plastic packaging placed on the
market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025?
- Does the UK Government need to do more to ensure that plastic
waste is not exported and then managed unsustainably? If so, what
steps should it take?
