Mike Hedges AM welcomes Welsh Government Statement on
Plastic Waste
Speaking from the Assembly,
Swansea East AM said… Mike Hedges AM said…
‘Like everyone, I share the widespread concerns around plastic waste; I
am pleased that the Welsh Government is now taking action to deal with this
issue. I have long campaigned for a plastic bottle deposit scheme and I hope
that when the review of the recent survey has been completed, this will be put
into operation quickly. I believe that
such a scheme really will make a big difference to the way that people use
plastic bottles. Such schemes have been a big success in other European
countries.
In the long term we need to
move away from using plastic and look to using more environmentally friendly
materials. I am pleased with the announcement of the £6 million for the
circular economy, and hope that Wales can lead the way in finding alternatives
to plastic and find better ways to recycle the plastic we do use.
I urge everyone to use water
refill stations where possible as this will also make such a contribution to
reducing the number of bottles we use.
Everyone can play their part
in saving the environment and in combating climate change; small changes in
behaviours can have big impacts. Everyone should look at how they can change
their habits and behaviours to be part of this fight.’
The increasing public concern in relation to
plastic waste and particularly single use plastic underlines the importance of
tackling this issue. As a Government we,
therefore, welcome the recent report by the Climate Change, Environment and
Rural Affairs Committee which identified a number of key areas where there is a
need for action.
As Deputy Minister for this area, I wanted to
set out the action that we are taking and how we plan to build on the progress
we have already made in Wales on this issue.
Firstly, I want to address the fact that the
recent BBC War
on Plastic documentary found plastic waste from Wales on an illegal
waste site in Asia. This is clearly
unacceptable. I am pleased the relevant
local authority has acted swiftly to ensure that waste is no longer exported
beyond the European Union. I will also be writing to all our other local
authorities to ask them to review their arrangements to ensure that no material
from elsewhere in Wales will find its way to illegal waste sites.
The longer term solution to this issue is not
just about tackling the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill or polluting
the world’s habitats; we must reduce the amount of resources we use and keep materials in use for as long
as possible. This is why our aim is to move to a circular economy. We must work
to collect materials in the best way so they can be recycled and fed back into
our economy.
Recycling is vital and it is important the
public in Wales have confidence the material they are recycling in their homes
is not simply disposed of.
As part of our success in making a
transformational shift over the last 20 years, from a nation which recycled
less than 5%, to a country which recycles 63% of its local authority municipal
waste, we have invested significantly in our infrastructure. This means around
95% of municipal waste from Wales is processed in the UK, with the majority
processed here in Wales.
Later this year, we will be consulting on our
proposals to go further. For business waste, we will implement the provisions
in the Environment (Wales) Act to require the separate collection of materials
for recycling, to ensure materials that can be recycled are not wasted. This
will include provisions which ban the disposal of food waste to sewers by
businesses and the public sector.
I also recognise that in order to tackle the
issue of plastic waste, we must go beyond recycling. This is why we have already committed to bringing
forward a ban or restriction on the sale of commonly littered single use
plastic items; including straws, stirrers and cotton buds, single use plastic
cutlery and expanded polystyrene food packaging and drinks containers. We are
also considering measures to help either reduce the consumption of single use
plastic items or, if they are used, to ensure they are correctly disposed
of.
To address the fundamental issues associated
with litter, we are developing a new Litter Programme which will culminate in a
new pan Wales Litter Plan. To help develop and deliver this programme, I am
establishing a new group which will draw upon the expertise and knowledge of a wide range of sectors to identify long
lasting, sustainable solutions to littering.
As a Government, we recognise the need to
collaborate with others to bring about wider change. This is why we jointly
consulted with the UK Government and other Devolved Administrations on reforms
to the packaging regime. In the UK, we generate 11.6m tonnes of packaging waste
annually. These proposals, to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility for
packaging and make producers responsible for their packaging at the end of its
life, are key to addressing the issue of packaging waste. Our aim is to not only
drive an increase in recyclable packaging, but to also reduce the amount of
packaging used, thereby dramatically reducing the amount of waste.
In addition, our joint consultation on a
Deposit Return Scheme proposes measures to increase the collection of high
quality materials including plastics via a mechanism which has been
successfully used in other parts of the world to reduce litter and avoid
plastic waste. We are currently considering the responses to these
consultations and I will provide an update to Members in the autumn. We are
also working with the UK Government on the introduction of a tax on plastic
packaging with less than 30% recycled content whilst keeping the option open to
take specific separate action in Wales.
The production of plastic will however continue
and in key areas it will play an important role. I am, therefore, prioritising
support to businesses and citizens to use plastic more efficiently and to reuse
it wherever possible. This is a key part of the £6.5m Circular Economy
Investment Fund I recently launched, which will support and incentivise
businesses in Wales to innovate in order to reuse plastic waste and support the
transition towards a circular economy.
In parallel, we are also continuing to deliver initiatives
to avoid the use of plastic where possible. Our Refill Nation initiative encourages people across Wales to refill
their drinks containers by making drinking water accessible and free.
As the Minister with responsibility for this
area, I am determined Wales will continue to be at the forefront of action on
waste. Building on our considerable
achievements to date, it is important our focus is now beyond waste management
and our globally recognised achievements on recycling are the basis of our
drive towards a more circular economy.
I welcome the public call for accelerated
action and the Committee’s call for a strategic approach. I will, therefore, be
developing a revamped zero waste strategy for consultation later this year to
deliver our collective ambition. Our ambition to become a zero waste nation by
2050 remains undiminished.
