Plastic waste

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 7 Jul 2021 Closed: 4 Aug 2023 Parliament page
Despite growing awareness of the effects of plastic pollution, a large proportion of plastic waste is still not recycled, and the UK currently exports large quantities of plastic packaging overseas, where it may end up being managed unsustainably. The UK Government has set a target of eliminating all 'avoidable' plastic … Read more
21 Recommendations
9 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Oral sessions
1 Letter
5 Events
Activity timeline 8 events
27 Jan
2023
Report published
7 Nov
2022
Report published
16 Jun
2022
Correspondence
10 May
2022
Oral evidence
22 Mar
2022
Oral evidence
18 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
7 Dec
2021
Oral evidence
30 Nov
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
10 May 2022
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Chris Preston · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Jo Churchill MP · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Molyneux · Environment Agency
22 Mar 2022
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Dr Carolyn Deere Birkbeck · Forum on Trade, Environmental Sustainability Dr Tim Rotheray · Viridor George Riddell · Ernst & Young LLP Megan Randles · Greenpeace UK Mr Jacob Hayler · Environmental Services Association Nihan Temiz Ataş · Greenpeace Mediterranean
18 Jan 2022
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Jenny Grant · Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) Kathy Page · Royal Society of Chemistry Professor Andrew Dove · University of Birmingham Professor Mark Miodownik · University College London Professor Michael Shaver · University of Manchester Professor Rachel Rothman · University of Sheffield Richard Daley · ReNew ELP Steve Fletcher · University of Portsmouth
7 Dec 2021
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Andrew Opie · British Retail Consortium (BRC) Hellen Stirling-Baker · British Independent Retailers Association Jude Allan · IOM3 Packaging Society Kevin Vyse · ProAmpac RAP Sian Sutherland · A Plastics Planet Steven Butts · Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd
30 Nov 2021
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Adrian Whyle · Plastics Europe Dr Adam Read · SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd Mr Barry Turner · British Plastics Federation (BPF) Mr Richard Hudson · Chartered Institute of Waste Management Paula Chin · WWF-UK Susan Evans · Green Alliance
Recommendations & Conclusions
30 results
1 Conclusion
Third Report - The price of plasti…
Despite progress in reducing the use of some problematic plastics and plastic products and creating...
Despite progress in reducing the use of some problematic plastics and plastic products and creating an uplift in recycled content in new plastic production, progress in tackling plastic waste appears to have slowed in recent years. Current initiatives are clearly … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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2 Recommendation
Third Report - The price of plasti…
We recommend the 2042 target for the elimination of plastic waste should be reaffirmed by...
We recommend the 2042 target for the elimination of plastic waste should be reaffirmed by the new Government but, crucially, without the qualifier “avoidable”. The goal would be clearly defined as ensuring that all plastic waste is recycled, reused or … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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3 Recommendation
Third Report - The price of plasti…
We also recommend that other government targets be revised to reflect and implement the waste...
We also recommend that other government targets be revised to reflect and implement the waste hierarchy. These changes should cover: • Reducing the volume of plastic that is put on the market. Where plastic is replaced with other materials, the … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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4 Recommendation
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The new Government should commit to reporting on progress against all these targets annually.
The new Government should commit to reporting on progress against all these targets annually. We also recommend that the Government should devise mechanisms to enforce these targets either through an existing regulator or upcoming reforms. (Paragraph 26) Extended producer responsibility … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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5 Conclusion
Third Report - The price of plasti…
The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging is a welcome reform that has...
The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging is a welcome reform that has the potential to drive progress towards a more sustainable plastics economy. However, the lack of information about the EPR fee scheme and the two-year delay … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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6 Recommendation
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We recommend that the new Government reaffirms its commitment to Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging...
We recommend that the new Government reaffirms its commitment to Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a re-accelerated process to implement the system in order to meet the targets set for 2025. This requires publication of a consultation on EPR … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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7 Conclusion
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We agree that it is best to continue the Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRN) system...
We agree that it is best to continue the Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRN) system in the short term to ensure some continued funding for the reprocessing sector. Government should ensure that any temporary dual-running system, and the added complexity … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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8 Recommendation
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We recommend that the Government develops a clear exit strategy for any dual running of...
We recommend that the Government develops a clear exit strategy for any dual running of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) alongside a legacy Packaging Waste Recovery Note system. This exit strategy should be published no more than a year after EPR … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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9 Recommendation
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We understand the logic behind some of the changes the previous Government made to its...
We understand the logic behind some of the changes the previous Government made to its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) proposals in response to the last consultation. We sympathise with the aim of reducing the financial impact on individual producers to … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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10 Conclusion
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We understand that promoting plastic reuse is a challenging part of this policy area but...
We understand that promoting plastic reuse is a challenging part of this policy area but increasing the uptake of reusable packaging is essential for reducing the total amount packaging consumed in the UK. Government must ensure that any Extended Producer … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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11 Recommendation
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The new Government should publish, in 2023/24, its plan for reuse and refill obligations that...
The new Government should publish, in 2023/24, its plan for reuse and refill obligations that will be introduced in 2025 under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, so that businesses can begin the process of adapting their product The price … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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12 Conclusion
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Achieving the widespread adoption of reusable packaging and refill would require fundamental changes to a...
Achieving the widespread adoption of reusable packaging and refill would require fundamental changes to a large part of our economy and to the mindset and behaviour of companies and consumers—it will not be possible to deliver this using the Extended … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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13 Recommendation
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We recommend that the Government create a reuse taskforce containing representatives from industry and consumer...
We recommend that the Government create a reuse taskforce containing representatives from industry and consumer groups. This taskforce should develop to a suite of measures to encourage, incentivise and require businesses and consumers to adopt more reuse habits and systems. … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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14 Recommendation
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We welcome the introduction of the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) which is expected to increase...
We welcome the introduction of the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) which is expected to increase demand for recycling plastic material and re-encourage investment in the recycling sector as it grows to meet this demand. We call upon the new Government … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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15 Recommendation
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However, there is a risk that PPT, as currently designed, will not deliver against its...
However, there is a risk that PPT, as currently designed, will not deliver against its intended objectives. A flat 30% recycled content requirement may well prove too easy for some sectors to achieve while acting as an unavoidable financial penalty … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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16 Recommendation
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To ensure the tax is delivering its intended impacts, the Government should publish an analysis...
To ensure the tax is delivering its intended impacts, the Government should publish an analysis of the impact of the tax by the end of financial year 2023/4. This evaluation should test the effectiveness of its verification systems and evaluate … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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17 Conclusion
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We welcome the previous Government’s efforts, through the Plastic Packaging Tax and other reforms, to...
We welcome the previous Government’s efforts, through the Plastic Packaging Tax and other reforms, to increase the demand for recycled plastics and thereby its aim to make the recycling sector more investable in the long run, helping the UK boost … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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18 Recommendation
Third Report - The price of plasti…
We call on the new Government to commit to its predecessor’s welcome decision to use...
We call on the new Government to commit to its predecessor’s welcome decision to use some of the money generated via its reforms to support investment in recycling capacity. We recommend that the expected infrastructure roadmap—anticipated in late 2022—provides detailed … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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19 Recommendation
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We also recommend that, by the end of 2023, the new Government conduct a feasibility...
We also recommend that, by the end of 2023, the new Government conduct a feasibility study of other mechanisms to encourage investment, including measures to rationalise the plastics market and introduce price-stabilising mechanisms for plastic recyclate, similar to those used … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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20 Conclusion
Third Report - The price of plasti…
There is no technological silver bullet to resolve the challenges of recycling plastic waste.
There is no technological silver bullet to resolve the challenges of recycling plastic waste. We welcome the work of the previous Government and industry to strengthen the mechanical recycling sector. However, it appears likely that this will need to be … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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21 Recommendation
Third Report - The price of plasti…
By 2023, the Government should update its infrastructure roadmap to set out its plan for...
By 2023, the Government should update its infrastructure roadmap to set out its plan for the future role of chemical recycling and composting within our plastics economy and waste management system. In particular, the Government must make a decision, based … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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22 Recommendation
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The Government need to publish clear, evidence-based criteria for how Extended Producer Responsibility fees and...
The Government need to publish clear, evidence-based criteria for how Extended Producer Responsibility fees and the Plastic Packaging Tax will apply to new technologies, including compostable plastics and chemical recycling. We recommend the hypothecation of income raised from fees on … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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23 Recommendation
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Finally, we recommend that the Government should consider the merits of introducing an incineration tax,...
Finally, we recommend that the Government should consider the merits of introducing an incineration tax, designed to drive up demand for—and therefore attract private capital investment in—alternative waste disposal methods once they are viable, including mechanical, chemical and composting recycling … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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24 Recommendation
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While upcoming Government reforms to the regulation of waste carrier registration and the introduction of...
While upcoming Government reforms to the regulation of waste carrier registration and the introduction of digital waste tracking both have the potential to help combat the dumping of UK waste in foreign countries, the current level of compliance and enforcement … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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25 Recommendation
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We heard that waste crime is a low risk, high reward endeavour and that current...
We heard that waste crime is a low risk, high reward endeavour and that current punishments are insufficient to deter illegal activity, contrary to the objectives of the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions policy. We recommend that sanctions for companies caught … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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26 Recommendation
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Exporting waste will always be vulnerable to crime and while the UK must strengthen enforcement...
Exporting waste will always be vulnerable to crime and while the UK must strengthen enforcement efforts, not every bad batch of exported waste will be caught. Many stakeholders have called on the UK to work towards a ban on all … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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27 Recommendation
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We are pleased that the previous Government signed the UK up to the UN Environment...
We are pleased that the previous Government signed the UK up to the UN Environment Assembly agreement working towards a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution, and welcome the UK’s founding membership of the related High Ambition Coalition within the … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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28 Recommendation
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We reiterate our recommendation that reporting requirements under Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging should cover...
We reiterate our recommendation that reporting requirements under Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging should cover those businesses producing one tonne or more of packaging in order to capture as much data as possible. The Government must ensure that requirements upon … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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29 Conclusion
Third Report - The price of plasti…
Better data is essential for delivering a circular economy.
Better data is essential for delivering a circular economy. More effective information will enable an understanding of the scale of the problems faced, the composition of the plastics put on the market and what systems are needed to help society … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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30 Conclusion
Third Report - The price of plasti…
However, the incoming Government needs to join up its existing proposals for data collection under...
However, the incoming Government needs to join up its existing proposals for data collection under Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and waste tracking to create a unified system. The previous Government’s argument—that such a system is less useful for ‘single-use … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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Correspondence 1 letter
16 Jun 2022 To committee Letter from Minister Churchill to the Committee regarding Plastic Waste, dated 6 June 2022
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