‘Producers must clean up their act’
THE Government’s commitment to addressing the “overwhelming amount” of single-use and nonrecyclable packaging used every day “can at best be described as erratic”, a Labour MP has claimed.
Anna McMorrin called for a change in the law to encourage producers to “take responsibility not only for the product but also for its disposal, to be responsible for the clean-up and not just contribute to it”.
The MP for Cardiff North said: “It’s unthinkable to think that our actions today are threatening those previously untouched landscapes and many others just on our doorstep, so we have now reached a crisis point.
“In Cardiff, clean-up volunteers describe seeing piles of takeaway cartons, broken-up polystyrene and even a swan’s nest made of plastic bottles on the banks of our rivers.”
She said ministers needed to address a common complaint of producers that the current system does not substantially reward and therefore encourage recyclability in product design.
She said: “A solution could be to introduce bonuses for producers via a reduction in the levy of pay. The bonuses could cover three categories including reducing packaging weight of their product, making it easier to recycle, and raising awareness by having a clear and correct label applied to the product.”
She added: “Crucially, without this extended producer responsibility enshrined into law, the cost of recycling falls to councils.”
Her Packaging (Extended Producer Responsibility) Bill would require producers of packaging products to take responsibility for the collection, transportation, recycling, disposal, treatment and recovery of those products.
She said: “This Bill aims to encourage producers to take responsibility not only for the product but also for its disposal, to be responsible for the clean-up and not just contribute to it. It aims to encourage producers to innovate and to change the packaging of their products, to contribute more to getting better recycling infrastructure for all councils where their product is consumed and, more importantly, it’s what the British public are calling out for.”
She said the introduction in Wales of a 5p charge on single-use carrier bags in 2011 had resulted in a 71% reduction in their use, adding it was “a perfect example of the difference that can be made when a government acts”.
She added: “The UK followed Wales in England four years later but since, their commitment to addressing the overwhelming amount of single use and non-recyclable packaging that we use every day can at best be described as erratic.”
She urged the Government to respond to the growing number of people becoming more and more frustrated at being unable to prevent packaging pollution.
She said: “The BBC’s Blue Planet has had a massive impact on our psyche. Who can forget the image of the turtle wrapped in a plastic sack or the photo of the stork wrapped in a plastic bag? If the UK Government don’t use their power to legislate properly, then these images are going to keep on coming.”
Ms McMorrin’s Bill was listed for a second reading on October 26, but is unlikely to become law due to a lack of parliamentary time. Plastic waste at the recycling plant in Lamby Way, Cardiff