Michael Gove stated that he aimed to introduce an Environmental Protection Act at the beginning of the next Parliamentary session in 2019, and that a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) would require legislation which could be included within it.
Mr Gove said that a consultation on a DRS can only come after the Treasury’s single use plastic consultation, which was announced by Chancellor Phillip Hammond last month (see letsrecycle.com story).
Commenting after the evidence session, Mary Creagh MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, explained that she had a mixed reaction to Mr Gove’s response.
“It is disappointing that having announced the DRS scheme last year, the Government will not be bringing this vital part of tackling plastic waste until 2020 at the earliest.
“We warmly welcome the Secretary of State’s commitment to a new environmental protection act and strong new environmental oversight body, which we called for in 2017.”
The new environmental oversight body will, in effect, replace the role of the European Commission which makes sure the UK meets environmental targets. The new body is likely to have the role of ensuring the UK meets future recycling targets but how it will operate is expected to be the subject of a consultation at some point this year.
Plastics
In other news for plastics, the Government today announced the end to the sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds at the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit.
The Prime Minister, Theresa May, has also said she will call on all other Commonwealth countries to join in the fight against plastic pollution.
Subject to a consultation, which the Environment Secretary said he will launch later this year, the Government is prepared to ban the sale of these items in England under plans to eliminate avoidable plastic waste.
The prime minister said: “Plastic waste is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world, which is why protecting the marine environment is central to our agenda at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
“The UK government is a world leader on this issue, and the British public have shown passion and energy embracing our plastic bag charge and microbead ban, and today we have put forward ambitious plans to further reduce plastic waste from straws, stirrers and cotton buds.”
In order to eliminate these items from use the Government will work with industry to develop alternatives and ensure there is sufficient time to adapt. It will also propose excluding plastic straws for medical reasons.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Michael Gove added that he hopes to continue to see cooperation across the supply chain.
“We’ve already seen a number of retailers, bars and restaurants stepping up to the plate and cutting plastic use, however it’s only through government, businesses and the public working together that we will protect our environment for the next generation – we all have a role to play in turning the tide on plastic.”
Suez
David Palmer-Jones, CEO of Suez UK , said the company welcomes today’s proposals, and that its introduction shows strong leadership.
He said: “The proposed ban on plastic straws, drink-stirrers and cotton buds shows strong leadership and rightly continues to place the environment at the top of the agenda for businesses and consumers. We welcome Michael Gove’s acknowledgment that targeting Britain’s prevailing culture of on-the-go consumption, particularly of plastic bottles, is key to both reducing waste and tackling our litter problems.”
He added: “SUEZ has always been supportive of the positive role that DRS can have on recycling and litter prevention and, in our recently issued report, we highlighted ‘on-the-go’ channels as the most suitable target for an effective DRS.”
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