Another victory in the Mail’s war on plastic

A DECADE ago, when this paper launched its campaign to slash the use of plastic bags, the public reaction was truly inspiring.

A huge army of Mail readers, businesses, public figures and even the Prime Minister rallied to our call. And the result was nothing short of a revolution.

Since then, thanks to the 5p charge, we have seen an astonishing 86 per cent reduction in plastic carrier bags.

And that was just the beginning. Following further campaigns, the toxic microbeads that are so dangerous to marine life have been outlawed and a ban on plastic straws is pending.

Today, we can report another huge advance in our war on plastic waste. A Treasury consultation on how best to tackle this pernicious blight and boost recycling received no fewer than 162,000 responses – the largest return in Treasury history.

They reveal unprecedented support for reducing single-use plastics by point of sale levies on plastic cups and cutlery, crisp and sweet packets and cling film.

It is a thundering public demand for action and one which the Government is duty-bound to honour.

The likely start will be a new tax on producers and levies on disposable coffee cups and unrecyclable black plastic. A deposit return scheme for drinks bottles and cans, already announced in Scotland, is being considered for all of the UK.

Promises, of course, are not the same as actions and the Mail will be watching all the way for signs of any official backsliding. But there is a definite sense that a tipping point has been reached.

We will never eliminate plastic from our society – nor should we.

But by changing our casual throwaway culture and educating retailers and manufacturers in the essential virtue of using recyclable materials, we can make our country – and our planet – a far more agreeable place to live.