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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the producers of plastic packaging pay for the entire lifecycle of the materials used.

The Government set out its commitment to reform the packaging producer responsibility system in the 25 Year Environment Plan, published in January 2018. Our Resources and Waste Strategy was published in December 2018 and contains details on how we will do this, including measures to incentivise packaging producers to make better, more sustainable decisions at the design stage and point of manufacture. Through reform of the current system we will require producers to fund the full net cost of managing the packaging they place on the market, once it becomes waste. These proposals are subject to a consultation, “Reforming the UK Packaging Producer Responsibility System”, which was published on 18 February 2019.

The Government has also confirmed that it will introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England, subject to consultation. Producers of drink beverage products that would fall within the scope of a deposit return scheme would be required to fund the system. The consultation, “Introducing a Deposit Return Scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland”, was published on 18 February 2019 and sets out our proposals in detail.