In the Resources and Waste Strategy, we have committed to taking actions which will help to stimulate private investment in reprocessing and recycling infrastructure.<\/p>
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We are introducing Collection and Packaging Reforms made up of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, Simpler Recycling and a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers. Through these reforms we want to significantly increase domestic reprocessing and recycling capacity by both increasing investors\u2019 confidence and improving the competitiveness of UK reprocessing.<\/p>
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Our existing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations have led to investment in waste infrastructure to process end of life electrical and electronic equipment.<\/p>
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We encourage the development of infrastructure for plastic reprocessing to ensure the UK meets its recycling targets as well as supporting these collection and packaging reforms.<\/p>
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Additionally, HM Treasury\u2019s plastic packaging tax is expected to increase demand for secondary material plastic and increasing reprocessing infrastructure will help meet this demand. Reprocessing infrastructure enables the value of resource use to be maximised as well as waste arisings and its impact on the environment to be minimised.<\/p>
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These actions are all intended to increase the amount of plastic waste we recycle domestically so we can reduce our dependency on plastic waste exports.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4861", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Robbie Moore"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Keighley"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Robbie Moore"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-05-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-05-20T14:10:54.013Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-05-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Plastics: Waste"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) improve recycling infrastructure and (b) reduce plastic waste exports.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "26208"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1543624", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1543624/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
There are no current plans to set a target on the reduction of single-use plastic. We consulted earlier this year on a target for reducing all residual waste excluding major mineral waste and will publish the response to this consultation soon.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4522", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rebecca Pow"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Taunton Deane"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rebecca Pow"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-11-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-11-28T15:49:16.26Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-11-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Plastics: Waste"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to introduce a target on the reduction of single-use plastic usage.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "90869"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1077173", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1077173/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, published in January last year, its commitment to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste and to reform the packaging producer responsibility system. Our Resources and Waste Strategy was published in December last year and contains details on how we will do this, including measures to incentivise packaging producers to make better, more sustainable decisions at the design stage and point of manufacture. Through reforming the current system we will require producers to fund the full net cost of managing the packaging they place on the market, once it becomes waste. We will strengthen the incentives of these reforms by also setting minimum ecodesign requirements.<\/p>
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Other measures set out in the Strategy, as well as in the Budget 2018, will lead to an increase in the supply and demand for secondary materials. These include the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England, introducing consistency in household and business recycling collections in England and a tax on plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content, all subject to consultation. These measures will provide a strong incentive for producers to design and make plastic packaging that uses less virgin materials and is more easily recyclable.<\/p>
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