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<p>This is a devolved matter and the answer applies to England only.</p><p>Our Resources
and Waste Strategy, published in December last year, builds on commitments in our
25 Year Environment Plan and sets out plans to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.
This is a seismic shift – it is not just about single use plastics, for example, but
about all plastics, including those used in agriculture.</p><p>Plastics are used on
farms for a number of reasons. Wrapping hay and silage bales, transporting feed and
fertiliser, and insulating and protecting soil and horticultural crops, for example.
The materials used are mostly recyclable, however attempts to collect it for recycling
have often been unsuccessful, due to high levels of contamination making the recycling
process uneconomic. The Government recognises the issues caused by inappropriate disposal
of agricultural plastic, and we are working with the Environment Agency and the Waste
and Resources Action Programme to explore how Government policy can address them.</p><p>Plastics
used in agriculture are ultimately a small proportion of the total volume of plastics
used, and the Government is taking a prioritised approach to tackling the overarching
problem of plastic pollution. Earlier this year we published consultations on a number
of key policy measures to significantly change the way that we manage our waste and
to reduce the impacts of plastic on the environment: reforming existing packaging
waste regulations; exploring the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks
containers; and increasing consistency in the recycling system, along with a parallel
consultation on the plastic packaging tax that the Chancellor announced in the Budget
last year. We will publish the Government responses to these consultations on the
GOV.UK website in due course.</p>
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