Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Third Report - The price of plastic: ending the toll of plastic waste
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
HC 22
Published 7 November 2022
Recommendations
2
Rejected
Para 24
We recommend the 2042 target for the elimination of plastic waste should be reaffirmed by...
Recommendation
We recommend the 2042 target for the elimination of plastic waste should be reaffirmed by the new Government but, crucially, without the qualifier “avoidable”. The goal would be clearly defined as ensuring that all plastic waste is recycled, reused or …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with dropping the "avoidable" qualifier because they believe a small proportion of waste cannot be kept in circulation, and substituting plastic for other materials may lead to worse environmental outcomes. They state the overall target should be viewed alongside other targets with earlier deadlines.
3
Accepted in Part
Para 25
We also recommend that other government targets be revised to reflect and implement the waste...
Recommendation
We also recommend that other government targets be revised to reflect and implement the waste hierarchy. These changes should cover: • Reducing the volume of plastic that is put on the market. Where plastic is replaced with other materials, the …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee on the importance of the waste hierarchy and states that it has been developing a new Waste Prevention Programme for England, aiming to embed a circular economy approach. They also recognise the importance of continuing to move focus to reuse, prevention and reduction.
4
Accepted
The new Government should commit to reporting on progress against all these targets annually.
Recommendation
The new Government should commit to reporting on progress against all these targets annually. We also recommend that the Government should devise mechanisms to enforce these targets either through an existing regulator or upcoming reforms. (Paragraph 26) Extended producer responsibility …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that it has already published plans for monitoring and evaluating progress on the Resources and Waste Strategy, and has published a Monitoring Progress report annually since 2020. The UK packaging recycling rates are published annually.
6
Accepted in Part
Para 35
We recommend that the new Government reaffirms its commitment to Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging...
Recommendation
We recommend that the new Government reaffirms its commitment to Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a re-accelerated process to implement the system in order to meet the targets set for 2025. This requires publication of a consultation on EPR …
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Government Response Summary
The government remains committed to introducing pEPR on a phased basis from 2024, focusing initially on payments for household packaging waste managed by local authorities, with modulated fees introduced at a later date. They will engage with producers and stakeholders on a granular list of packaging and how modulated fees will be applied, and will publish for feedback their best estimate of these rates.
8
Rejected
Para 40
We recommend that the Government develops a clear exit strategy for any dual running of...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government develops a clear exit strategy for any dual running of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) alongside a legacy Packaging Waste Recovery Note system. This exit strategy should be published no more than a year after EPR …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with publishing an exit strategy for dual running of EPR and the PRN system one year after EPR implementation, stating they want to ensure the right measures are in place at the right time and avoid complicating pEPR's delivery.
9
Rejected
We understand the logic behind some of the changes the previous Government made to its...
Recommendation
We understand the logic behind some of the changes the previous Government made to its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) proposals in response to the last consultation. We sympathise with the aim of reducing the financial impact on individual producers to …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees and will maintain the existing de-minimis threshold, while introducing a new reporting obligation on smaller producers and reviewing the de minimis threshold in 2026/27.
11
Deferred
Para 55
The new Government should publish, in 2023/24, its plan for reuse and refill obligations that...
Recommendation
The new Government should publish, in 2023/24, its plan for reuse and refill obligations that will be introduced in 2025 under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, so that businesses can begin the process of adapting their product The price …
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Government Response Summary
The government intends to come forward with proposals for reuse/refill obligations in 2024, including measures like targets and obligations on businesses that use packaging, and whether there is a role for modulating fees.
13
Accepted
We recommend that the Government create a reuse taskforce containing representatives from industry and consumer...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government create a reuse taskforce containing representatives from industry and consumer groups. This taskforce should develop to a suite of measures to encourage, incentivise and require businesses and consumers to adopt more reuse habits and systems. …
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Government Response Summary
The government claims to already be addressing this through funding WRAP and the UK Plastics Pact, who are encouraging businesses and consumers to adopt reuse systems and habits through support, trials, roundtables, and guidance.
14
Rejected
Para 71
We welcome the introduction of the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) which is expected to increase...
Recommendation
We welcome the introduction of the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) which is expected to increase demand for recycling plastic material and re-encourage investment in the recycling sector as it grows to meet this demand. We call upon the new Government …
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Government Response Summary
The government will maintain and develop this fiscal measure. However, the government disagrees with hypothecating fees towards research, stating producer fees will pay for packaging waste collection and management.
15
Acknowledged
Para 72
However, there is a risk that PPT, as currently designed, will not deliver against its...
Recommendation
However, there is a risk that PPT, as currently designed, will not deliver against its intended objectives. A flat 30% recycled content requirement may well prove too easy for some sectors to achieve while acting as an unavoidable financial penalty …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the recommendation to modulate the Plastic Packaging Tax, stating that the pEPR Scheme Administrator will prepare a statement on modulating fees and seek business views, but rejects hypothecating fees towards research.
16
Not Addressed
Para 73
To ensure the tax is delivering its intended impacts, the Government should publish an analysis...
Recommendation
To ensure the tax is delivering its intended impacts, the Government should publish an analysis of the impact of the tax by the end of financial year 2023/4. This evaluation should test the effectiveness of its verification systems and evaluate …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the recommendation to publish an analysis of the impact of the tax but refers to pEPR scheme administrator policies, and rejects hypothecating fees towards research.
18
Deferred
Para 83
We call on the new Government to commit to its predecessor’s welcome decision to use...
Recommendation
We call on the new Government to commit to its predecessor’s welcome decision to use some of the money generated via its reforms to support investment in recycling capacity. We recommend that the expected infrastructure roadmap—anticipated in late 2022—provides detailed …
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Government Response Summary
The government is developing a 'Waste Infrastructure Roadmap', intended for publication in 2023, to support investment decisions across the waste management sector by presenting data on waste arisings and current infrastructure capacity in the UK.
19
Rejected
We also recommend that, by the end of 2023, the new Government conduct a feasibility...
Recommendation
We also recommend that, by the end of 2023, the new Government conduct a feasibility study of other mechanisms to encourage investment, including measures to rationalise the plastics market and introduce price-stabilising mechanisms for plastic recyclate, similar to those used …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with conducting a feasibility study of other mechanisms to encourage investment, stating that existing policies will encourage greater levels of recycling and create the market conditions to support continued investment in domestic recycling capacity.
21
Accepted in Part
Para 99
By 2023, the Government should update its infrastructure roadmap to set out its plan for...
Recommendation
By 2023, the Government should update its infrastructure roadmap to set out its plan for the future role of chemical recycling and composting within our plastics economy and waste management system. In particular, the Government must make a decision, based …
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Government Response Summary
The government will publish the ‘Waste Infrastructure Roadmap’ this year; agrees with the importance of clarity when labelling, pointing to CMA guidance and reaffirming its position that compostable plastics have a limited role given they are inherently single use, and that compostable and biodegradable packaging would be expected to have the ‘do not recycle’ label applied until infrastructure and evidence base is improved.
22
Rejected
The Government need to publish clear, evidence-based criteria for how Extended Producer Responsibility fees and...
Recommendation
The Government need to publish clear, evidence-based criteria for how Extended Producer Responsibility fees and the Plastic Packaging Tax will apply to new technologies, including compostable plastics and chemical recycling. We recommend the hypothecation of income raised from fees on …
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Government Response Summary
The government will obligate producers to collate and report their packaging data for 2023. However, the government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation to hypothecate fees towards research, stating producer fees will pay for packaging waste collection and management.
23
Accepted
Finally, we recommend that the Government should consider the merits of introducing an incineration tax,...
Recommendation
Finally, we recommend that the Government should consider the merits of introducing an incineration tax, designed to drive up demand for—and therefore attract private capital investment in—alternative waste disposal methods once they are viable, including mechanical, chemical and composting recycling …
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Government Response Summary
The government considers the intention of the recommendation to be already addressed through the consultation on the expansion of the UK ETS to include waste incineration, and the Plastic Packaging Tax, and that an additional incineration tax is not required.
24
Accepted
Para 114
While upcoming Government reforms to the regulation of waste carrier registration and the introduction of...
Recommendation
While upcoming Government reforms to the regulation of waste carrier registration and the introduction of digital waste tracking both have the potential to help combat the dumping of UK waste in foreign countries, the current level of compliance and enforcement …
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Government Response Summary
The EA intends to consult in 2023 on levying charges on shipments of green list waste, allowing them to recover regulation costs from exporters and strengthen compliance work, including checks on plastic waste exports, and the Waste Tracking System will increase their compliance capabilities.
25
Acknowledged
Para 118
We heard that waste crime is a low risk, high reward endeavour and that current...
Recommendation
We heard that waste crime is a low risk, high reward endeavour and that current punishments are insufficient to deter illegal activity, contrary to the objectives of the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions policy. We recommend that sanctions for companies caught …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee on the importance of the waste hierarchy and states that they have been developing a new Waste Prevention Programme for England and have set a statutory target to cut residual waste.
26
Accepted
Para 124
Exporting waste will always be vulnerable to crime and while the UK must strengthen enforcement...
Recommendation
Exporting waste will always be vulnerable to crime and while the UK must strengthen enforcement efforts, not every bad batch of exported waste will be caught. Many stakeholders have called on the UK to work towards a ban on all …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that they already publish plans for monitoring and evaluating progress on the Resources and Waste Strategy and that there will be a legal requirement to report annually on progress against the Environmental Improvement Plan.
27
Accepted
We are pleased that the previous Government signed the UK up to the UN Environment...
Recommendation
We are pleased that the previous Government signed the UK up to the UN Environment Assembly agreement working towards a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution, and welcome the UK’s founding membership of the related High Ambition Coalition within the …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees and supports the inclusion of legally binding global obligations as part of the treaty and intends to use the best available evidence to determine which measures will be most effective.
28
Deferred
Para 135
We reiterate our recommendation that reporting requirements under Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging should cover...
Recommendation
We reiterate our recommendation that reporting requirements under Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging should cover those businesses producing one tonne or more of packaging in order to capture as much data as possible. The Government must ensure that requirements upon …
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Government Response Summary
The government will review the implementation of the 25 tonne (T) de-minimis in 2026/27 as part of their wider review of pEPR before considering changing the threshold, and has published guidance on data producers need to collect.
Conclusions (9)
1
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 23
Despite progress in reducing the use of some problematic plastics and plastic products and creating an uplift in recycled content in new plastic production, progress in tackling plastic waste appears to have slowed in recent years. Current initiatives are clearly not driving progress as effectively as possible. Some of the …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with dropping "avoidable" from the target of eliminating avoidable plastic waste by 2042, citing the need for realism and potential for worse environmental outcomes when substituting plastics in certain situations, and notes its plans for monitoring progress.
5
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 34
The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging is a welcome reform that has the potential to drive progress towards a more sustainable plastics economy. However, the lack of information about the EPR fee scheme and the two-year delay in implementation mean that achieving meaningful change in packaging design …
Government Response Summary
The government remains committed to introducing pEPR on a phased basis from 2024, focusing initially on payments for household packaging waste and introducing modulated fees later to incentivize recyclability, while engaging with stakeholders and providing guidance.
7
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 39
We agree that it is best to continue the Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRN) system in the short term to ensure some continued funding for the reprocessing sector. Government should ensure that any temporary dual-running system, and the added complexity it brings, does not become permanent. We welcome the previous …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with publishing an exit strategy for dual running of EPR and the PRN system one year after EPR implementation, stating they want to ensure the right measures are in place at the right time and avoid complicating pEPR's delivery.
10
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 54
We understand that promoting plastic reuse is a challenging part of this policy area but increasing the uptake of reusable packaging is essential for reducing the total amount packaging consumed in the UK. Government must ensure that any Extended Producer Responsibility system fully incentivises all routes for tackling plastic waste—not …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that more use of reusable packaging is desirable and states its intention to consider appropriate measures to encourage the use of reusable/refillable packaging, such as targets and obligations on businesses. They intend to come forward with their proposals in 2024.
12
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 58
Achieving the widespread adoption of reusable packaging and refill would require fundamental changes to a large part of our economy and to the mindset and behaviour of companies and consumers—it will not be possible to deliver this using the Extended Producer Responsibility reforms alone.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that widespread adoption of reusable packaging will require fundamental changes to business and consumer behaviours, and highlights their work with WRAP, funding for reuse and refill pilots, and data collection efforts.
17
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 82
We welcome the previous Government’s efforts, through the Plastic Packaging Tax and other reforms, to increase the demand for recycled plastics and thereby its aim to make the recycling sector more investable in the long run, helping the UK boost its recycling capacity. However, further action is needed to increase …
Government Response Summary
The government is developing a 'Waste Infrastructure Roadmap', intended for publication in 2023, to support investment decisions across the waste management sector by presenting data on waste arisings and current infrastructure capacity in the UK.
20
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 98
There is no technological silver bullet to resolve the challenges of recycling plastic waste. We welcome the work of the previous Government and industry to strengthen the mechanical recycling sector. However, it appears likely that this will need to be supported by other technologies in order to create a circular …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges that chemical recycling has a role to play where mechanical recycling is not viable. They also agree on the importance of clarity when labeling and note the CMA published guidance for businesses in 2021 to help them understand and comply with consumer protection laws.
29
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 140
Better data is essential for delivering a circular economy. More effective information will enable an understanding of the scale of the problems faced, the composition of the plastics put on the market and what systems are needed to help society dispose of or recycle products more sustainably. Upcoming government reforms …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that better data is essential and key to informing policy development and welcomes the support for mandatory recyclability labelling on packaging.
30
Conclusion
Acknowledged
However, the incoming Government needs to join up its existing proposals for data collection under Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and waste tracking to create a unified system. The previous Government’s argument—that such a system is less useful for ‘single-use items’ like packaging—is flawed. Packaging needs to be valued so …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees better data is essential and key to informing policy development and welcomes support for mandatory recyclability labelling. They plan to use the waste tracking service to incorporate waste information recording requirements.