Policy paper

September 2021: Waste and resource efficiency factsheet (part 3)

Updated 1 April 2022

Headlines

1. The Environment Bill will allow us to implement policies at every stage of the product lifecycle.
2. The resource efficiency powers in the Bill will enable the government to set product design and related requirements to ensure products are more durable, repairable and recyclable. The resource efficiency information powers will also allow us to introduce clearer labelling of products so consumers can easily identify whether products and packaging are recyclable or not.
3. Powers in the Environment Bill to introduce new extended producer responsibility schemes will allow us to make producers responsible for the full net costs of managing their products and packaging when they are ready to be disposed of.
4. The Bill will allow the government to implement charges on single-use plastics, following the successful introduction of the carrier bag charge, and will enable the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.
5. The Bill will allow us to deliver consistent and frequent recycling collections across England, ending the current postcode lottery. It will also ensure councils operate weekly separate food waste collections, preventing food waste from going to landfill or being incinerated.
6. Powers in the Bill will support us in tackling rogue operators that illegally dump or export waste, undermining legitimate businesses. The Bill contains powers which will allow government to regulate, ban or restrict the import and export of waste, enabling us to deliver on our commitment to ban the export of plastic waste to non- Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

Context

Material resources are at the heart of our economy, and we consume them in large quantities. They allow us to meet our basic human needs as well as generate economic growth and create social value. Our use of resources has become unsustainable however, which is causing harm to the natural environment and contributing to climate change. Economically, we are also at risk of fluctuating prices due to raw material prices as our precious natural resources become depleted.

We have made good progress in recent years and continue to take action to increase our resource efficiency and minimise the impact of our waste. For example:

• In England, the amount of local authority collected waste that is sent to landfill has reduced by over 90% since 2000/2001.
• Plastic bag usage has fallen by over 95% in the main supermarkets since the introduction of the carrier bag charge in 2015. Following this success the charge has now been increased to 10p and extended to all retailers.
• UK greenhouse gas emissions produced by the waste management sector (excluding energy from waste) are estimated to have fallen by 71% between 1990 and 2019.

But we know there is more to do, and that the waste we create and our use of resources is at the heart of the public discussion about our relationship with the natural environment. That’s why, in December 2018, we published the Resources and Waste Strategy for England. This Strategy, together with our Litter Strategy for England, forms a key part of our pledge to leave the environment in a better condition than we inherited it by cleaning up the country and moving towards a more sustainable, circular economy.

How will we do it?

The Bill allows action to be taken at all stages of the product lifecycle, as each stage provides opportunities to move towards a more circular economy. In bringing forward these measures we have ensured that they present a coherent package and that they complement one another.

Sustainable production

We will uphold in full the important ‘polluter pays’ guiding principle in a number of ways.

We will take powers to introduce extended producer responsibility (EPR) which will enable us to reform our existing producer responsibility schemes and introduce schemes for additional products in the future. These powers will ensure producers can be held responsible for the end-of-life costs of managing their products, thus incentivising them to design their products with re-use and recycling in mind. We intend to introduce an EPR scheme for packaging initially, and have consulted on the detail of this scheme.

The Bill also extends the power to impose producer responsibility obligations in relation to the prevention of waste and the redistribution of surplus products and materials. This will allow action to be taken on food waste.

Powers to set resource-efficiency standards for products will drive a shift in the market towards the production of products that last longer, which can be re-used and repaired more easily, and can be recycled at end of life.

Helping consumers take more considered action

The Bill will enable government to ensure consumers are able to make informed purchasing decisions that support the market for more sustainable products, and incentivise them to do so where appropriate. It includes powers to introduce labelling and consumer information to enable consumers to identify products that are more durable, repairable and recyclable, and to inform them on how to recycle or dispose of used products.

We will also take powers to enable charges for single-use plastic items, similar to the carrier bag charge, to incentivise consumers to use more sustainable items. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products: this will include utilising existing powers to ban products where suitably environmentally friendly alternatives exist and the evidence suggests that this is the best approach. For example, we have also recently announced plans to consult on proposals to ban single-use plates, cutlery and polystyrene beverage containers, and to seek views and evidence on other problematic single-use items.

We will also take powers to establish deposit return schemes, including for drinks containers, which will support consumers to reduce litter and recycle more.

Recovering resources and managing waste

The Bill stipulates a consistent set of recyclable waste streams that must be separately collected from all households, including a weekly separate food waste collection. This will make it easier for households across the country to recycle. Businesses and other organisations that produce municipal waste will have a duty to separate the same recyclable waste streams (except for garden waste) and to arrange for their separate collection.

Measures to tackle waste crime will improve the management of waste, better enabling its use as a resource and reducing the risk of economic, environmental and social harm that illegal activity often causes. This includes powers to introduce a digital system to track waste movements. This will improve the quality and coverage of waste data and address gaps in formation for businesses to unlock the full potential value of waste materials to reduce raw materials costs, develop new revenue streams and help move us towards a more circular economy.

Measures will also ensure agencies and authorities can work more effectively to combat waste crime through better access to evidence and improved powers of entry. Existing provisions will be improved and extended to ensure that enforcement against littering and related offences is carried out proportionately and in a way which retains public trust. The Bill also contains powers which will allow government to regulate, ban or restrict the import and export of waste, enabling us to deliver on our commitment to ban the export of plastic waste to non- Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. We will consult with industry, non-government organisations (NGOs), and local authorities on any specific restrictions or prohibitions.

Further information

Environment Bill Targets

We want to achieve sustained improvement across the whole resources and waste system, in line with 25 Year Environment Plan goals to use resources from nature more sustainably and minimise waste.

An important aspect of the Environment Bill is the power to set long-term, legally-binding environmental targets, with at least one within the area of Resource Efficiency and Waste Reduction.

We are exploring how targets can help:

• increase resource productivity
• reduce the amount of ‘residual’ waste we generate

Implementation of the resources and waste measures

Most of these measures will need secondary legislation before they can be implemented. Where that is the case, we will develop the evidence, identify full costs and benefits and consult on detailed proposals, as appropriate, prior to implementation. Indeed, further consultation has already has taken place on our proposals for consistency in recycling, reforming the UK packaging producer responsibility system and introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers. We received feedback from stakeholders, including businesses and local government who will lead the way in delivering many of these reforms.

Separately to the Bill, we have also introduced restrictions on the supply of plastic straws, drinks stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds in England, following overwhelming public support. In May 2021, we increased our 5p carrier bag charge to 10p and extended it to all retailers, to build on its success so far and create a level playing field for all retailers. We have also recently announced plans to consult on proposals to ban single-use plates, cutlery and polystyrene beverage containers, and seek views and evidence on other problematic single-use plastic items.

Reduction of plastic waste

The Bill includes several measures that will help reduce plastic use and make the plastic we do use more recyclable. These include measures that will enable us to make producers cover the cost of collecting and recycling packaging waste, introduce deposit return schemes (such as for drinks containers) and require consistent recycling schemes for households and businesses. It will also enable us to introduce charges for single-use plastic items.

In the 25-Year Environment Plan we committed to eliminating avoidable plastic waste, and this power will help us to do that. Plastic pollution, especially from single-use plastic items, can have particularly devastating effects on our natural capital, causing great harm to marine life and littering our beaches and waterways. Our call for evidence in 2018 regarding the use of taxes and charges to address single-use plastic waste received a record number of responses, demonstrating strong public support for measures aimed at tackling this issue. The introduction of charges for single-use plastic items was a strong theme and this power will allow us to deliver swiftly on that call, supplementing existing powers to ban items that cause environmental harm.

Tackling fly tipping

The measures in the Bill will grant greater enforcement powers and the ability to increase penalties for fly-tipping in the future, building on previous work such as the introduction of powers to issue fixed penalty notices and to stop and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers.

Defra chair the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group, through which we engage with stakeholders such as local authorities, the National Farmers Union and Country Land and Business Association, to share guidance and practical tools which help to tackle fly-tipping.

We expect all local authorities to exercise their power to investigate fly-tipping incidents, prosecuting the fly-tippers and recovering clearance costs where possible.

Recycling reforms: local authority funding

We will fully fund all new burdens on local authorities arising from the Bill.

The government recognises the financial pressures local authorities face and will ensure that costs arising from new statutory duties such as those proposed in the Bill are covered.

The changes will mean that local authorities will be collecting more materials for recycling which may mean additional equipment – such as food waste bins for householders. We will allow local authorities sufficient time to adapt to their new duties and to communicate changes with householders.

Deposit return scheme – materials in scope

We will develop proposals for deposit return schemes on a case by case basis. We are currently considering a deposit return scheme for drinks containers that may include cans, plastic bottles and glass bottles. We have previously consulted on the inclusion of coffee cups, cartons and pouches. The proposed scope and model of a deposit return scheme were part of a recent second consultation that ended in June 2021.

The specific details of a deposit return scheme, including the material and drinks to be in scope, will be developed following this consultation and using further evidence and ongoing engagement with stakeholders. We want to design and implement a deposit return scheme that will be most effective in helping achieve our objectives, so it is important that the design of any scheme is fully considered.