Welsh Senedd shows “real leadership” while England drags its feet on plastic pollution

Today the Welsh Senedd will vote on Stage 3 of The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill that will see some of the most polluting single-use plastics such as plates, plastic cutlery, and even thin single-use plastic bags banned.  Responding to the proposed vote and likely legislation, City to Sea’s Policy Manager, Steve Hynd, said,

“Today’s vote is an opportunity for Wales to tackle some of the most polluting single-use plastics in a way that we know will have a credible impact on plastic pollution. This is a chance to see our beaches and riverbanks free from many of the main sources of plastic pollution like single-use cutlery that have for too long been a visual blight and a danger to our ecosystems. This also includes items that are still in circulation in most other countries, such as thin single-use plastic bags. To include them on the list of items to be banned shows real leadership by the Welsh Assembly.”

He continued, “However much of the bill includes items such as cutlery, plates, and cotton buds that have been banned across the rest of the EU for years now. Although it’s welcome that the ban is finally coming into place, it is far too late, and more still needs to be done. Equally this legislation only further embarrasses Defra as it leaves England as now the only country in Europe to not have banned some of these items like single-use plastic cutlery. This is despite Defra consulting to do so over a year ago. We were promised a ‘Green Brexit’ but on key environmental standards Defra is dragging its feet and is falling behind its closest neighbours.”

When this legislation passes, Wales will join Scotland and all of the EU in banning all the items listed in Article 5 of the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive. This will leave England falling behind all its neighbours on these minimum environmental standards as the only country to not have banned all the items listed in the Directive.