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 phase out the (a) production and (b) use of unneeded plastics.

This Government is taking action to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. We have introduced one of the world’s toughest bans on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, and have significantly reduced the use of plastic bags by around 86% with our 5p carrier bag charge. We recognise that more needs to be done, which is why we have set out an ambitious approach in our 25 Year Environment Plan.

The Resources and Waste Strategy, published December last year, sets out our plans to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. We will take action at each stage of the product lifecycle: production, consumption and end of life. At the production stage, this includes encouraging producers to take more responsibility for the environmental impact of their products and making sure plastic items are more carefully designed. At the consumer stage we want to reduce demand for single-use plastic. At the end of life stage, we will make it easier for people to recycle and increase the amount of plastic being recycled.

The Government has set out proposals to reform the current packaging producer responsibility regulations, invoking the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle to financially incentivise producers to take greater responsibility for the environmental impacts of packaging they place on the market. This includes mechanisms to incentivise better design, encourage the use of recycled material and ensure that producers pay the full costs of disposal for packaging they place on the market. These measures aim to reduce the amount of unnecessary and difficult to recycle packaging and increase the amount of packaging that can and is recycled, including plastic packaging. We are currently consulting on these proposals in conjunction with the Scottish Government. The consultation will close on 13 May and can be accessed at: www.gov.uk/government/news/government-sets-out-plans-to-overhaul-waste-system.