The food industry’s efforts to reduce plastic have been slammed as “unambitious” in a damning document by a group of MPs.
A report from the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Committee, published today, claims progress from supermarkets and suppliers has been too slow and hindered by ambiguous targets and a lack of transparency.
The report also calls for new measures including a complete ban on the export of plastic waste from the UK by 2027 and a toughening of the plastic tax that came in this year to increase the cost of using the material.
The committee said despite huge public concern and commitments from industry to reduce plastic consumption, recycling rates had “not significantly risen” since 2015, with the proportion of plastic packaging recycled estimated to be 44.2% in 2021.
It said the true figure could be lower, with a report by the National Audit Office finding that Defra estimates are based on insufficiently robust data.
The Efra report takes aim at the industry’s voluntary UK Plastics Pact, which sets out aims including all packaging being reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025, as well as the elimination of so-called “problem plastics”.
Efra branded the programme “lacklustre” and said despite progress in reducing the use of some problematic plastic, progress has slowed. “Current initiatives are clearly not driving progress as effectively as possible,” according to the report.
It claims the voluntary nature of the industry’s initiatives on plastic are to blame and calls for the government to impose tougher targets.
These include scrapping the existing aim of removing all “avoidable” plastic packaging by 2042 and instead insisting all plastic is recycled, reused, or composted.
The UK Plastics Pact is not the only strategy described as too weak. MPs also called for the plastic tax – which came into effect in April for packaging containing less than 30% recycled plastic – to have tougher thresholds and higher fees.
Read more: Wrap defends industry’s use of ‘confusing’ compostable plastic
The report also calls on the government to speed up the rollout of its Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, which will make the industry responsible for the cost of recycling.
Setting out calls for a total ban on plastic exports within five years, MPs said it should be part of a strategy to use less plastic, reuse more of it, and boost recycling.
“For far too long the UK has been reliant on exporting its waste overseas and making it someone else’s problem,” said committee chair Robert Goodwill.
“Plastic waste originating in our country is being illegally dumped and burned abroad. The UK must not be a part of this dirty trade and that’s why we are calling for a total ban on waste plastic exports.
“To do this we need to reduce how much plastic we use and consume, invest in greater capacity to reprocess our own waste and support research into new technologies and materials. If the UK takes a lead in this, we have the potential to create hundreds of new jobs and build a multibillion-pound waste management industry.”
No comments yet