Tackling the plastic problem

With half of all plastic made in the last 13 years, the world has a huge plastic problem. The Government wants to explore how changes to the tax system or charges could be used to reduce the amount of single-use plastics we waste by reducing unnecessary production, increasing reuse, and improving recycling. The government also wants to hear about how to ‘drive innovation’ in this area.

This means everyday single-use plastic items such as disposable coffee cups, takeaway boxes and polystyrene packaging could be hit with charges like the 5p levy on plastic bags.

However, while several other countries including France and Costa Rica have already banned single use plastic, Labour has accused the Government of dragging its feet over the issue by announcing a consultation. In January, the Environmental Audit Committee demanded the introduction of a 25p ‘latte tax’ on disposable cups.

For more on this issue, see Nursery Management’s ‘Planet plastic’, out with the Spring 2018 edition.

Consultation documents can be found here

Consultation closes: 11:59pm on 18 May 2018