Not enough has been done to tackle plastic pollution by the Welsh Government, according to a new report.
The report published today says that while the Welsh Government has promised policies, nothing has yet happened - and there is now a public expectation for that to happen.
It adds that no more time can be wasted and "the time to act is now".
The climate change, environment and rural affairs committee say in their report: "Plastic pollution is a serious threat to our planet and the public rightly expects governments to take urgent action to tackle this problem.
"In April 2019, the Welsh Government declared a “climate emergency”.
"It is not clear yet what impact this will have on its policies in practice. Overall, the Welsh Government’s progress has been lacking in this policy area.
"It has commissioned research and a report on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which has not been implemented. It has allocated funding for scoping work on a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), but no scheme has been brought forward.
"Stakeholders are, understandably, concerned about this apparent inertia.
"The Welsh Government must demonstrate to the Welsh public that it understands its concerns and must take action.
"We welcome the outpouring of public enthusiasm for change in this policy area. We believe this is our strongest weapon in tackling plastic pollution.
Put bluntly - "We cannot waste another day. The time to act is now," say the committee.
The committee want to see:
- A 10 year strategy to include targets and stakeholders
- Recycling should be a 'last resort' if something can't be reduced or reused
- Laws should be considered to reduce plastic pollution
- Producers should have to foot the bill for their packaging at the end of its life
- All drinks containers should have an extra charge which people get back if they recycle it
So what is happening?
In February 2019, the Welsh Government announced three consultations aimed at tackling plastic and packaging waste.
They were for the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, which will apply to the UK as a whole, and a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers applying to Wales, England and Northern Ireland.
A third, UK-wide, consultation, published by HM Treasury, wanted to know if there should be a tax on the production and importation of plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled content.
In terms of Wales, the report looks at microplastics, the impact that they are having on wildlife here and whether there should be a specific tax or policy in relation to them.
Producers 'to pay for their waste'
It was introduced as a way of encouraging producers to consider what happens to their product after its been used - including the cost of disposing of it.
Currently in the UK, producers only pay about 10% of the cost of disposing of their packaging at the end of its life.
Julian Kirby explained: "Across much of Europe, the people who produce what goes on to become plastic pollution … they pay about 90 per cent to the clean-up cost, and council tax payers and taxpayers pay 10 per cent. Here in the UK, it’s the other way round.
"So, local authorities, us taxpayers pay 90 per cent towards the cost of clean-up, and the people who make and market and push out these pollutants are paying much, much less."
Dr Chris Sherrington from Eunomia said that means there is "no incentive at the design stage for them to think too much about the end of life, to design something they know can be recycled".
That is being changed, and producers will be made to pay up to 100% of the costs. "I think—we’ll then see a big difference there, because the financial incentives will be aligned with the practice we’d want to see".
A report, commissioned by the Welsh Government in 2018, looked at options associated with food and drink packaging and littering in Wales.
That recommended producers should have to pay the whole cost of recovery - dropping to 80% in some cases.
Now, a response to a consultation between devolved and the UK Government to look at an extended producer responsibility scheme is ongoing.
The proposals aim "to reduce the amount of unnecessary and difficult to recycle packaging and increase the amount of packaging that can and is recycled, through reforms to the packaging producer responsibility regulations.
"It also proposes that the full net costs of managing packaging waste are placed on those businesses who use packaging and who are best placed to influence its design".
Being paid to get rid of your bottles
This is what's known as a deposit return scheme.
Simply, it means if you buy disposable drink bottles, you'll be charged extra for the bottle. When you return it to an organised disposal point, you'll receive a refund.
This is part of an ongoing consultation and in relation to "on the go" containers which are currently more likely to be thrown in a public bin, and therefore less likely to be recycled.
Taxes
A single use plastics tax was put forward by the Welsh Government as one of four new taxes considered by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. The UK Government then announced a call for evidence on taxation around single-use plastics.
The Welsh Government however opted “to work with the UK Exchequer to try and have a UK-wide single-use plastic tax”.
The Treasury’s proposed plastic tax would come into force from April 2022, and wants to create a financial reason for producers to use recycled, not new, materials.
What does the Welsh Government say?
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are ambitious about tackling waste and increasing recycling and we share the public’s enthusiasm to do more.
“We are already acting on many of these recommendations, including work on a deposit return scheme, introducing extended producer responsibility for packaging and banning a range of single use items.
"We have also launched the £6.5m Circular Economy Investment Fund which will support more reprocessing of plastic waste in Wales and we are working with HM Treasury following the consultation for a UK plastic packaging tax. We will be consulting on a revised zero waste strategy later this year.
“Addressing plastic pollution is a key part of our transition to a circular economy which keeps resources in use for as long as possible. This is also key to tackling climate change and brings considerable economic opportunities as a part of the transition to a low carbon economy.”
A further debate on Wednesday
On Wednesday, AMs will take part in an hour long debate.
- Put forward by the Welsh Conservatives, it will call on the Assembly to:
- Recognises the growing importance that the Welsh public places on reducing plastic waste.
- Calls on the Welsh Government to strengthen supply chains in Wales to prevent the export of ‘environmental pollution’ to third countries and retain public confidence.
- Believes the Welsh Government should use its powers to introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.
- Calls on the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government and other devolved nations to take steps to help eliminate avoidable plastic waste by also; banning the supply of plastic straws, exempting individuals with disabilities; preventing the supply of plastic-stemmed cotton buds except for scientific use; and banning drinks stirrers.
