James has welcomed new proposals to protect the environment including making the tobacco industry pay for cleaning up cigarette butts, a deposit return scheme for drink containers, and a consultation on packaging and packing waste.
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Measures to make tobacco industry reduce litter caused by their products.
Tobacco companies may have to pay for the litter created by cigarettes under plans being explored by ministers to protect the environment and save local councils money.
The move comes after fresh evidence reveals that cleaning up littered cigarette butts currently costs UK local authorities around £40 million per year. Despite smoking rates being at their lowest recorded level, cigarette filters continue to be the most commonly littered item in England.
Among the options being looked at by Ministers is a regulatory extended producer responsibility scheme for cigarette butts in England, a new power currently being legislated for in the Environment Bill. This would require the tobacco industry to pay the full disposal costs of tobacco waste products, ensuring the sector takes sufficient financial responsibility for the litter its products create.
According to Keep Britain Tidy research, smoking related litter is the most prevalent form of litter in England, making up 68% of all littered items and found on around 80% of surveyed sites.
The vast majority of cigarette butts are single-use plastic and contain hundreds of toxic chemicals once smoked. Littered cigarette filters can persist in the environment for many years and release these chemicals to air, land and water, harming plant growth and wildlife.
As set out in the Litter Strategy for England, the most effective way to tackle smoking related litter is by reducing the prevalence of smoking in the first place. The Government is committed to addressing the harms from smoking and will publish a new tobacco control plan for England later this year to deliver its ambition of a smoke-free country by 2030.
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Consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
The government want to know what you think about their proposals to introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Introducing such a scheme will help change consumer behaviour to encourage higher levels of drinks container recycling.
The government need views on:
- how a deposit return scheme will operate
- scheme scope and design
- implementation timelines
- scheme enforcement
The consultation is open until 4 June 2021.
To give your views please complete this survey: Introducing a Deposit Return Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - Defra - Citizen Space
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Consultation on Packaging and packaging waste: introducing Extended Producer Responsibility
This will mean that packaging producers will pay the full cost of managing packaging once it becomes waste. This will encourage producers to use less packaging and use more recyclable materials, reducing the amount of hard to recycle packaging placed on the market.
The government are seeking your views on how the scheme will operate, including:
- scheme design
- scheme governance
- implementation timelines
- how the scheme will be enforced
The consultation is open and will close on 4 June 2021.
To give your views please complete this survey: Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging - Defra - Citizen Space
Commenting James said," I welcome these new proposals to protect the environment by tackling the scourge of littering and to increase recycling. It’s right that producers take more responsibility for waste caused by their products and I would encourage people to take part in these consultations to help shape these measures."
