Plaid Cymru will take bold action to clean up our air, reduce waste and cut pollution – protecting public health and improving the places we live.
We will:
- Work with local authorities on adopting WHO clean air standards and reducing air pollution – particularly around schools, care homes, and other areas where vulnerable people are most exposed – supported by strong monitoring, enforcement, and transparent public reporting.
- Phase out unnecessary single-use plastics, starting with packaging for fresh fruit and vegetables where this offers negligible benefit for shelf life, reducing the amount of plastic that ends up as litter or microplastics in our food and ecosystems.
- Introduce a Welsh Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for plastic and metal drinks containers – including glass when this becomes practically feasible, and with relevant exemptions to prevent added costs for small businesses.
- Ensure a fair ‘polluter pays’ approach, so that those who create pollution bear the cost of cleaning it up – not local communities or responsible businesses.