Labour warning over delay to plastic tax

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.”