AQW 12954/22-27

Miss Michelle McIlveen
Democratic Unionist Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 04/06/2024
Answered On Date: 13/06/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to (i) improve recycling infrastructure; and (ii) reduce plastic waste exports.

Answer:

My Department’s £23 million Household Waste Recycling Collaborative Change Programme (HWRCCP) financially supports local councils to transform kerbside recycling and Household Recycling Centre infrastructure and services. Since the Programme’s launch in June 2019, funding, totalling £4.875M, has been allocated to 6 councils for 9 projects. Eligible projects will be supported with grants of up to 50% for eligible costs from DAERA and I would urge all Councils to submit applications to further enhance the local circular economy.

Waste export policy including the export of plastic waste is a matter reserved to the UK Government. However, I am committed to taking actions which will facilitate our transition to a Circular Economy here. I recently launched a consultation, Rethinking Our Resources, which includes measures designed to increase the quality and the quantity of what we currently recycle, and I encourage everyone to respond to these proposals.

The introduction of packaging Extended Producer Responsibility in 2025 means packaging producers will pay higher fees for packaging which is less recyclable. This will reduce the amount of complex, composite packaging containing plastic being sold.

In April 2022, the UK Government introduced a new tax on all packaging where plastic is the main component. Packaging with less than 30% recycled plastic content is subject to a tax of just under £218 per tonne.

Together, these interventions will increase the amount of plastic and other waste we can recycle domestically in closed loop processes so we can reduce our dependency on waste exports including the export of plastic waste.