The Government’s delay on introducing a new ‘single use’
plastics tax could see 700,000 additional tonnes of plastic
packaging thrown away before the delayed tax comes into effect in
2022.
Over the four years until the plastic tax is introduced,
this will amount to over a trillion pieces of plastic being
thrown away before the tax comes into effect. This includes
nearly 830 billion additional pieces of non-recyclable
plastics.
By overlooking the growing issue of non-recyclable
disposable coffee cups entirely in the Budget, at least 100,000
additional tonnes of coffee cups will end up going to landfill
over the next four years alone.
MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment
Secretary, said:
“It’s scandalous that over 700,000 tonnes of additional
plastic waste will devastate our environment while the Tories’
dither and delay over even the most basic of measures.
“Yet again the Government is showing a shocking disregard
for the environment at a time when the urgency and seriousness of
the situation has never been clearer.”
Ends
Notes to editors
· The
Budget announced a new plastic tax on ‘single use’ plastics
(those with less than 30% recycled plastic) but the introduction
of the tax is delayed until 2022.
· Based
on this recent research, the UK throws away 295bn pieces of
plastics per year, with 70% of this non-recyclable ‘single-use’
plastic.
· Over
the four years until the plastic tax is introduced in 2022, this
will amount to over a trillion pieces of plastic being thrown
away before the tax comes into effect.
· 70%
of 1,18,000,000,000,000 (i.e. ‘single use’ plastics) amounts to
82,600,000,000,000 (or nearly 830bn additional pieces of
non-recyclable plastics).
· Based
on this research, which projects an increase of 850,000 tonnes of
plastic waste from packaging (i.e. 'single use') from 2018 to
2030 (a 22% increase), this totals 710,000 tonnes additional
plastic waste before the tax comes into effect.
o 2019 –
71
o 2020 –
142
o 2021 –
213
o 2022 –
284
o This totals
710,000 tonnes additional plastic waste before the tax comes into
effect
· It
was estimated in 2011 that about 2.5bn disposable coffee cups are
thrown away in the UK each year, creating about 25,000 tonnes of
waste each year.
· 25,000
tonnes over four years amounts to 100,000 additional tonnes of
coffee cups alone going to landfill before the plastic tax is
introduced.
· The
cross-party Environmental Audit Committee recommended a 25p
charge or “latte levy” on single-use cups to discourage their use
and fund new “infrastructure” was the top recommendation to drive
up recycling in January.
