Government is ‘dragging its feet’ over plastic waste plans

The Environmental Audit Committee has argued that the government has not ‘adequately acted upon, or responded to’ recent recommendations on deposit return schemes and producer responsibility obligations.

The UK uses 7.7 billion plastic water bottles each year which, when revealed, encouraged the government to consider a culture shift. Defra and WaterUK have committed to create a network of water refill points across England, although the committee reported no evidence of water companies doing the same.

The committee has urged the government to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic drinks bottles, which the government indicated could be delayed until after the consultation on a tax on single-use plastics.

Mary Creagh, chair of the committee, said: "The government is dragging its feet on introducing a deposit return scheme. Every day the government delays, another 700,000 plastic bottles end up in our streets. This delay is unacceptable, the Government must get its ducks in a row. The government needs to take decisive action on this important issue instead of kicking it into the long grass.

“My committee was shocked to find that the UK unnecessarily uses over seven billion plastic water bottles every year. The government needs to do much more to combat plastic pollution. Premises serving food or drink should be legally obliged to provide free drinking water. Producers, not the taxpayer, should pay for costs of recovering hard to recycle packaging. A UK-wide deposit return scheme is a crucial next step to turn back the plastic tide."