Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging

03 May 2023 · 2 other contributors · 3,938 words

Opened by Nia Griffith Lab Llanelli

Responding minister: Rebecca Pow

Environment

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Nia Griffith raised concerns about extended producer responsibility for packaging in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Concerns raised about the proposed Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging scheme, suggesting it may not adequately incentivize recycling and could unfairly tax companies with high recycling rates.
  • The specific ask is for the government to pause the introduction of the scheme and work with manufacturers to address concerns, and to introduce modulated fees alongside the main scheme in 2024.
  • The Minister commits to the shared goal of implementing a successful UK-wide scheme to improve recycling and reduce pollution but does not offer specific commitments to pause or modify the scheme.

Key requests to Government

Will the Minister consider pausing the introduction of the EPR scheme and use the time to work productively with manufacturers on their concerns? Will she introduce modulated fees at the same time as the main scheme in 2024?

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Nia Griffith Lab Llanelli

I am concerned about the amount of plastic and packaging waste that ends up in landfill, seas or incinerators. The current proposals may not incentivise appropriate behaviours and could fail to achieve improvements in recycling rates. Wiltshire Farm Foods provides an example where over 97% less packaging by weight is left behind due to a closed-loop system. However, under the proposed legislation, this company would be taxed as if its trays just went into the waste system with only a 50% chance of being recycled.

Other contributors (2)
  • Mark Pawsey

    I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. What did my hon. Friend the Minister make of the suggestion from the hon. Member for Llanelli (Dame Nia Griffith) that there should be more private sector involvement in the operation of our EPR system?

  • Robin Millar Lab Dwyfor Meirionnydd

    My constituent Laura Fielding highlighted the responsibility of manufacturers and producers for packaging beyond the point of sale, extending to disposal and post-use considerations. The Minister has twice mentioned that she has been over to the continent to see exemplars and learn from those who are further down this path than us, which I think is a terrific step. Has she given consideration to her point about the reuse of recycled materials? I hear concerns that the availability of that material is becoming a key issue. Larger players are consuming or using up large amounts, making it less available for smaller manufacturers.

Government Response

Rebecca Pow

It is a pleasure to have you in the Chair, Mr Sharma; I know this subject is of great interest to you, as is litter. The hon. Member for Llanelli asked a great raft of questions, so if I do not cover all the answers, we will write to her on some of the outstanding issues. We agree on the shared goal of implementing a successful UK-wide scheme that serves to improve recycling and the availability of recycled materials for reuse, to drive down pollution, and to ensure that the cost of packaging waste no longer relies so heavily on the public purse. After four years of extensive engagement across the packaging sectors, the policy framework to introduce an extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme for packaging across the United Kingdom was outlined in the Government response published in March 2022. Work is continuing to make progress in preparation for its implementation. The EPR measures will be key to achieving targets such as a 48% recycling rate of rigid plastics by 2025, and 62% by 2030. Businesses will pay for the collection and management of their packaging from households through payment of disposal costs. We want to incentivise reusable and refillable packaging and are looking at other schemes around the world, such as in Belgium, which is a world leader in this area. Our aim is for legislation to be in place in time to start the EPR in 2024-25.

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