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Written question asked by Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour) on Thursday, 12 October 2017, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 16 October 2017. It was answered by Baroness Coffey (Conservative) on Thursday, 19 October 2017 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.


Packaging

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the use of non-recyclable plastics and other packaging in the UK.

Answer

Our policies and regulations - such as the Packaging Waste Regulations - are designed to increase recycling and reduce the amount of packaging that ends up in the natural environment.

In September 2016, the Waste and Resources Action Programme and an industry advisory group published a framework for greater consistency, encouraging councils to recycle a common set of materials, as well as setting out actions to rationalise packaging, particularly plastics, into items that can be collected for recycling while supporting innovation in packaging design.

Almost all packaging is technically recyclable, although some local authorities and waste management companies choose not to collect some types of packaging for recycling for various reasons, including cost of investing in new machinery which can sort this packaging.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
107602
Session
2017-19
Related items
Packaging: Recycling
Wednesday, 1 November 2017
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Recycling Packaging Plastics
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk