Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative). It was answered by Lord Henley (Conservative) on Wednesday, 7 September 2011.

Environment: Litter and Waste

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will establish recommended standards for dealing with litter and waste, adapted for different areas and needs and including labelling plastic carrier bags with the length of time they take to biodegrade.

Answer: My Lords, the Code of practice on litter and refuse sets cleaning standards for local authorities which vary according to an area’s intensity of use and litter levels. The key to reducing the environmental cost of carrier bags is reducing usage, encouraging reuse and recycling. It is unclear whether labelling carrier bags with details of biodegradability influences consumer behaviour. It might wrongly imply that quicker-degrading bags have less environmental impact.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 730 c273
Session: 2010-12
Oral question type: Lead
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Biodegradability Labelling Litter Standards Waste disposal Street cleaning Plastic bags
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk