Plastics: Waste

(asked on 14th January 2021) - View Source

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on (1) the quality of water, (2) human health, and (3) the soil condition, of the countries receiving plastic waste exported from the UK.


This question was answered on 28th January 2021

While waste is a commodity, and there is a legitimate global market for secondary materials, it must be and is subject to strict controls. There is a system of international rules on waste shipments that must be followed when exporting waste. UK legislation requires that those involved in the shipment of waste take all necessary steps to ensure waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and at the waste management facility in the country of destination. Any operators found to be illegally exporting waste can face severe sanctions - from financial penalties to imprisonment for a period of up to two years.

The UK Government has conducted no assessment of the impact of UK plastic waste exports. The Government has, however, funded programmes, active in several countries that import plastic waste from the UK, which are working to address the sources of ocean plastic pollution.

Working with the World Economic Forum, the UK has supported the development of National Plastic Action Partnerships (NPAPs) in Ghana and Indonesia, with a third having launched in Vietnam in December 2020, to help create circular plastic economies. In Vietnam this platform aims to help dramatically reduce its flow of plastic waste into the ocean and eliminate single-use plastics from coastal tourist destinations and marine protected areas. We aim to support 25 NPAPs by 2025.

The Commonwealth Litter Programme brings together scientists, policy makers and communities around the world to identify actions which can be taken to stop plastic entering the marine environment, collect beach litter and measure marine microplastics, and raise awareness of what individuals and society can do to protect our marine habitats and wildlife. Having so far worked in Belize, South Africa, the Pacific, and India since its launch in 2018, the Programme is currently expanding in the South Asian region.

Finally, having signed a UK 'Plastics Pact' in 2018, the UK is now funding the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to support Commonwealth countries to develop their own Plastics Pacts. WRAP is working to develop a network of Plastics Pacts around the world to a support broader transition to a Plastic Circular Economy.

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