Recycled Plastics

Debate between Lord Benyon and Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist

Tuesday 13th February 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Benyon (Con)]

No, we want this to be a United Kingdom scheme. The noble Baroness will be aware of complications in Scotland, and we want to make sure that we are introducing this in conjunction, so that we do not have booze cruises from Scotland to England to buy drinks that will not fall within that scheme. We now think that we can work with this. In the context of the whole piece, with our plastics packaging tax, and recycling increasing dramatically over the last decade, we are now requiring households right across the country, uniform across the local authorities, to recycle all six waste streams by 2027. With the bag charge, which has seen a 98% reduction in the use of those, and the introduction of the banning of single-use plastic straws and a whole range of other single-use plastics, I think even the noble Baroness would admit that we are doing our best.

[Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Con)]

My Lords, my noble friend the Minister will be aware that Wales led the way in introducing a charge for single-use plastic bags. It was so successful that it was followed in short order by Northern Ireland, Scotland and then England. However, in respect of the ban on single-use plastics, on which, again, Wales is trying to lead the way, I am not quite so sure of the evidence. Will the Minister say what his opinion is of what the effect of banning single-use plastics might be?

[Lord Benyon (Con)]

Our restrictions on straws, stirrers and cotton buds have had a big impact. These items used to appear on the top-10 littered items lists but no longer do so. According to estimates in our impact assessment, England used 1.1 billion single-use plates and 4.25 billion items of single-use cutlery per year, most of which were plastic but only 10% were recycled, so banning these items will have a significant impact on reducing plastic waste.

Packaging Waste (Data Reporting) (England) Regulations 2023

Debate between Lord Benyon and Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist

Wednesday 22nd February 2023 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist]

That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 9 and 12 January be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 21 February.

[Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Con)]

My Lords, with the leave of the House and on behalf of my noble friend Lord Benyon, I beg to move.