The Government recently announced the UK’s latest steps in the war to end plastic waste, which included one of the most important public consultations on the topic ever. Justin Tomlinson, MP for North Swindon has been outlining his support for new measures that protect the natural environment and wildlife from single-use plastic waste.
The impact of plastic waste or plastic pollution is hard to understate. It is estimated that each person uses a staggering 18 single-use plastic plates and 37 single-use plastic items of cutlery each year in England. The durability of plastic means litter from items used for a few minutes can last for centuries in landfill or as litter in the countryside or ocean. Around the world, more than one million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals and turtles die every year from eating or getting tangled in plastic waste.
The consultation will primarily focus on single-use plastics, including plates, cutlery and polystyrene cups. A raft of other items could be banned in England as part of the new consultation being launched in the Autumn. Following the successful introduction of the 5p charge on single-use carrier bags - which has cut sales in the main supermarkets by 95% since 2015. The Government then decided to increase the minimum charge to 10p and extended it to all retailers, ensuring billions more bags are kept out of circulation.
The Government are also introducing a plastic packaging tax from April 2022, set at £200 per tonne, on plastic packaging which doesn’t meet a minimum threshold of at least 30% recycled content. This will encourage greater use of recycled plastic, leading to increased levels of recycling and plastic waste collection, helping to tackle the problem of plastic waste and protect our environment.
Justin Tomlinson MP said:
“I think this latest consultation is a real opportunity to keep single-use plastic waste on the agenda with the Government’s landmark action on the environment since 2010. I would strongly urge anyone with a passion for resolving this issue to contribute your thoughts to the ongoing consultation when it is formally launched this Autumn.
The UK is already rapidly establishing itself as a global leader in combatting plastic waste. Following the successful of successful schemes like the bag charge, banning numerous single-use plastics, increasing our rate of recycling and phasing out microbeads.”
Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
“We’ve all seen the damage that plastic does to our environment. It is right that we put in place measures that will tackle the plastic carelessly strewn across our parks and green spaces and washed up on beaches.
We have made progress to turn the tide on plastic, banning the supply of plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds, while our carrier bag charge has cut sales by 95% in the main supermarkets.
Now we are looking to go a step further as we build back greener. These plans will help us stamp out the unnecessary use of plastics that wreak havoc with our natural environment.”
