The Secretary of State commented that there had been “extensive and continued collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh governments and the Northern Ireland Civil Service” which has enabled the bringing forward of proposals to increase recycling as well as other environmental measures.
The Bill is to be introduced to Parliament today (15 October) and it will be accompanied by an updated policy statement.
Commenting, Ms Villiers said: “Our natural environment is a vital shared resource and the need to act to secure it for generations to come is clear.
“That’s why our landmark Environment Bill leads a green transformation that will help our country to thrive. It positions the UK as a world leader on improving air quality, environmental biodiversity, a more circular economy, and managing our precious water resources in a changing climate.
“Crucially, it also ensures that after Brexit, environmental ambition and accountability are placed more clearly than ever before at the heart of government, both now and in the future.”
Consistency
The Department of the Environment noted that public consultations “have played an important part in shaping numerous measures in the Bill, including on: environmental governance, the Clean Air Strategy, biodiversity net gain, protections for urban trees, conservation covenants, packaging producer responsibility, consistency in recycling, deposit return schemes and water resources.”
Referring to the waste management and recycling section of the Bill as providing a “A new direction for resources and waste management” and that it will “Transform the way we manage our waste – through powers to ensure that producers take responsibility for the waste they create, introducing a consistent approach to recycling, tackling waste crime, introducing bottle deposit return schemes and more effective litter enforcement.”
Explaining the Bill, the Department uses the term “Measures”, which is seen as likely confirmation that powers will be granted to the Secretary of State to implement initiatives such as Extended Producer Responsibility, with the detail coming later.
On EPR, Defra commented that it “will extend responsibility for waste disposal to those who produce it, reducing waste in the long term as well as creating incentives for the reuse of material, and moving towards a more circular economy. And, it added: “We are also cracking down on litter, helping to end this blight on our communities, whilst tackling the organised gangs who profit from waste crime.”
Single use plastics
And, Defra emphasised that there will be action on single use plastics – the European Union is preparing a Directive on these. Defra said it will be introducing charges for a number of single use plastic items and “will build on the success of the government’s 5p plastic bag charge, which has cut sales from the biggest supermarkets by 90% since 2015”.
- The Department has also announced that the new body overseeing the government on environmental issues, the Office for Environmental Responsibility, will be based in Bristol. Bristol is also home to the Environment Agency.
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