Edward Argar MP for Charnwood

As we see the first signs of autumn, with leaves beginning to turn, and undergrowth and roadside plants beginning to die back, we also see on many of our lanes and roadsides discarded plastic waste being revealed. It is a very visual reminder of the impact on our environment locally, but also more widely, of the decisions we all take. Although in the Stn when I contribute articles I tend to write about issues specific to the town, this is an issue which affects Syston, but which also affects our country as a whole. Our environment matters to us all, and preserving and enhancing it is vital to all of our futures, and future generations, and in that context plastic waste is an issue a number of local people have recently written to me about.

We need to do all we can, both in our own daily lives, and to encourage other people to recycle and to stop producing so much waste in the first place. We must all be more ‘resource efficient’, which not only eases pressure on the environment and our stocks of natural resource but reduces costs too, boosting productivity. Where waste is produced, wherever possible we must ensure it is recycled, or that we aim to reuse items where we can. 

On plastic waste, without urgent action to cut demand, it is estimated 34 billion tonnes of plastic will have been manufactured globally by 2050. The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy sets out plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more plastic than we do now. The target is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste throughout the life of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, but for the most problematic plastics ministers are going faster and have committed to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. To keep products in circulation for longer, the Environment Bill will require products to be designed to be durable, repairable, and recyclable, as well as legislating for the use of extended producer responsibility schemes in a way that incentives more resource efficient design. The Bill also includes powers to enable other commitments to be delivered which will improve the quantity and quality of the materials we recycle. These include commitments to implement a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers and the introduction of consistent recycling collections across the country. The Government have also announced key details of the world leading Plastic Packaging Tax. The initial rate of the tax will be £200 per tonne and it will be paid by manufacturers and importers of plastic packaging that contains less than 30 per cent recycled plastic. Building on the world-leading microbeads ban, restrictions on the supply of plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds came into force on 1st October 2020, with exemptions to ensure that those with medical needs or a disability are able to continue to access plastic straws and, alongside this, single-use plastic plates, cutlery and polystyrene cups are among a raft of items that could be banned in England as part of a new public consultation being launched this Autumn.

There is clearly a lot of swift and effective action that has been taken already by the Government to lead the world in tackling the plastic waste problem, but we must always remember we only have one planet, and we hold it in trust for future generations, and there is always more we can do, so if we want to hand it on in good shape, and if we want to continue to see towns like Syston looking fantastic and litter-free for decades to come, we all have a personal responsibility to build on this action at a national level, and to play our part locally in reducing our waste and particularly plastic waste, and where we cannot, reusing or recycling that waste.