The government has announced that manufacturers and businesses will have to pay the entire cost of disposing of or recycling their packaging waste in a bid to overhaul England’s waste system and make those who produce damaging waste more legally responsible for what happens to it.
Producers are also going to have to take more responsibility for products that are either costly or more difficult to recycle, such as electrical goods, batteries and cars.
The announcement is part of the government’s new Resources and Waste Strategy, the first update in more than ten years. It’s hoped the move will eliminate avoidable plastic waste, leaving the environment in a better state for future generations.
In a bid to drive recycling levels up even further, a consistent set of recyclable material for collection will be introduced, subject to consultation. This is going to be funded by industry through Extended Producer Responsibility, with those in the sector paying higher fees if products are harder to repair, reuse or recycle, encouraging sustainable design.
Currently, producers pay just ten per cent of the net costs of disposal or recycling of packaging placed on the market – but this new strategy will ensure that they pay the full net costs.
Environment secretary Michael Gove commented on the announcement, saying: “Our strategy sets out how we will go further and faster, to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Together we can move away from being a ‘throw-away’ society, to one that looks at waste as a valuable resource.
“We will cut our reliance on single-use plastics, end confusion over household recycling, tackle the problem of packaging by making polluters pay, and end the economic, environmental and moral scandal that is food waste. Through this plan we will cement our place as a world leader in resource efficiency, leaving our environment in a better state than we inherited it.”
This news comes as campaigners issue a warning that the UK’s waste crisis is deepening, with new figures from the government showing that household recycling rates are in fact falling, and more rubbish is being disposed of through incineration.
According to iNews, in the year to March 31st 2018, households in England recycled 44.8 per cent of their waste, while the amount of rubbish burned rose by 6.5 per cent to 10.8 million tonnes.
Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP, noted that these statistics are “incredibly disappointing” and are indicative of the fact that the government has failed thus far to respond to calls for action where waste is concerned from the general public.
She went on to call on the government to bring in a joined-up strategy to help clear up the waste mess, including appropriate funding for local councils so they’re better able to “demystify” the country’s overly complex recycling system.
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