Protecting our environment is the responsibility of us all, and I am pleased to have been able to support many measures to help deliver this. From our aims of Net Zero, investing in developing new, greener technology, and prioritising renewable and sustainable energy sources as we move away from reliance on fossil fuels, we are working to ensure a cleaner and greener Britain.
One issue regularly raised with me by constituents, especially our school children, is the impact of plastic pollution on our open spaces, rivers and oceans. Significant progress that has already been made to address plastic pollution,- including a bans on microbeads in personal care products and restricting the supply of some single use plastic items, such as plastic straws and drink stirrers. We also introduced a charge for single-use carrier bags which has reduced the number of bags used in the main supermarkets by over 95 per cent.
Last year we passed the Environment Act 2021 which includes a raft of new powers to address plastic pollution and litter, including a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers and the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for packaging will make manufacturers responsible for the full net cost of recycling their packaging waste.
But we can and should still do more. As a scientist I believe the best way to make the case for change is to provide clear evidence of the problem you wish to solve. By understanding how much and what type of household plastic waste we throw away we can get a clearer picture of what more may be needed to combat plastic pollution. So I am therefore encouraging constituents to sign up to the Big Plastic Count – the UK’s biggest ever investigation into household plastic waste.
From May 16th – 22nd households, schools, community groups and businesses are asked to sign up and count all the plastic packaging that they throw in the bin or recycle. This campaign, organised by Greenpeace, will collate the data and share it with DEFRA as part of their consultation on targets to protect nature under the new Environment Act.
You can sign up to receive further information and take part in The Plastic Count here: https://act.gp/3M2xjy0.
