Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle plastic pollution in (a) rural and (b) coastal areas.

This Government is committed to tackling all pollution, including plastic pollution. To reduce plastic pollution Defra has focused efforts on the most commonly used and littered plastic items. Bans and restrictions on single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks, straws, plastic-stemmed cotton buds, drink stirrers, expanded and extruded polystyrene takeaway containers, plates, bowls and microbeads have been introduced, as well as the single-use carrier bag charge.

To further reduce plastic pollution, this Government is committed to delivering the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in October 2027, as agreed with the devolved governments of the UK, and in accordance with the Joint Policy Statement published in April 2024.  It is estimated that the DRS could lead to an 85% reduction in litter of in-scope items, which includes plastic drinks containers.

At this stage, the Government has not yet made an assessment of what further actions to take to address the specific challenges associated with rural plastic pollution. Any new policies will be announced in the ordinary manner.