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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support (a) local authorities and (b) businesses to (i) comply with new plastic regulations and (ii) transition to sustainable alternatives.

We have interpreted this question as referring to Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, as well as our work on reducing Single Use Plastics.

The Government has provided approximately £700,000 to support local authorities in enforcing the 2023 bans and restrictions on single-use plastics. The 2023 bans cover single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks, drinks stirrers, and food and drink containers made of expanded and extruded polystyrene. In addition, there are restrictions on supplying single-use plastic plates, bowls, trays, straws, and cotton buds, subject to certain exemptions.

Updated guidance has been published on GOV.UK to assist both Trading Standards officers and businesses in interpreting the scope of the legislation. The guidance can be accessed here: Single-use plastics bans and restrictions - GOV.UK

These resources are intended to strengthen enforcement and ensure effective implementation of the Regulations.

The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, which introduces an obligation for producers to pay for the collection and disposal costs of their household packaging when it becomes waste, came into effect on 1 January 2025. On Friday 27 June 2025, PackUK released a policy statement on the modulation of pEPR fees, which will be introduced in year 2 of pEPR (2026) and will raise or lower the base fees per material to incentivise materials that are recyclable. pEPR will secure Local Authority (LA) funding (c£1.4bn annually) for the improved management of discarded packaging materials, driving in turn improvements in the quality and quantity of recycled packaging materials.