Written question WQ88759
- Asked by
- Rhys ab OwenIndependent
- To be answered by
- Minister for Climate Change
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 12 days
Question
Following the Welsh Government's written statement on the Deferral to Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging on 26 July 2023, what progress has been made in inter-governmental discussions to ensure that not only Wales, but the rest of the UK, commit to creating a circular economy for plastic?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Climate Change
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging scheme is being designed to support the transition to a circular economy and deliver on our Programme for Government commitment to building a stronger, greener economy as we progress towards a net zero Wales.
The deferral will ensure a greater opportunity to engage on the design of the scheme and will provide stakeholders with additional time to prepare for the upcoming reforms. As set out in the Impact Assessment, there is predicted to be around 270kt of carbon emissions savings per year by 2033 resulting from these EPR reforms.
We are actively working on the development of appropriate exclusions with regards to small and medium size businesses. This includes introducing different obligations under EPR for packaging depending on the size of the business as determined by a de minimis threshold. The draft Statutory Instrument which has now been published for consultation, shows the progress that has been made in developing the scheme to accelerate progress towards a circular economy.
As part of the recent announcement, the UK Government has committed to following in the footsteps of the Welsh Government by developing a Circular Economy Action Plan for England. The Welsh Government having published our first Circular Economy Strategy, Beyond Recycling, in 2021.
In Wales, we have successfully increased our recycling rates whilst also significantly reducing the amount of waste we dispose of in landfill and are close to meeting our target of less than 5% landfill by 2025. In 2021/22, the total amount of plastic packaging collected by local authorities in Wales was around 102,000 tonnes of which only 8% went to landfill.
By applying the ‘polluter pays’ principle, the EPR scheme for packaging will mean that producers will pay for the full net costs of managing their products at end-of-life. In doing so, the scheme will not only improve resource efficiency and reduce the amount of packaging placed on the market in the first place but will also encourage the re-use of packaging as we transition to a zero waste and net zero carbon nation.