The delay in implementation of the Budget’s plastic tax means 700,000 more tonnes of plastic packaging will be thrown away, according to the Labour Party.
Last month’s Budget saw chancellor Philip Hammond say that a tax on the manufacture and import of plastic packaging which has less than 30% recycled plastic content would be put in place.
Labour said that leaving the start date to 2022 would see more than a trillion pieces of plastic thrown away in the interim, including nearly 830 billion additional pieces of non-recyclable plastics.
Hammond decided against a tax on disposable coffee cups, at least in the short term, a move Labour said would see 100,000 additional tonnes of discarded materials in the next four years.
Shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman (pictured) said: “It’s scandalous that over 700,000 tonnes of additional plastic waste will devastate our environment while the Tories dither and delay over even the most basic of measures.
“Yet again the Government is showing a shocking disregard for the environment at a time when the urgency and seriousness of the situation has never been clearer.”
You might also like...
'Plummeting' virgin PET price threatens recycling
European recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) will be the same price or more costly than virgin PET price next year, market data firm S&P Global Platts Analytics has warned, raising questions over whether plastic waste can be curbed.
Labour pledges to end plastics waste exports
The Labour Party’s manifesto for the general election has included policies to end plastic waste exports and create thousands of jobs by investing in a “new plastics remanufacturing industry”.
Villiers says fashion EPR must wait its turn after packaging
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) will not reach the fashion industry until it has been firmly established for plastic packaging, environment secretary Theresa Villiers has said.
Johnson pledges to ban waste exports from UK
Prime minister Boris Johnson has included preventing the export of UK waste, including plastics, to foreign countries as among the top priorities for his Government in its first legislative programme.
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment
Please remember that the submission of any material is governed by our Terms and Conditions and by submitting material you confirm your agreement to these Terms and Conditions. Links may be included in your comments but HTML is not permitted.