Waste and Plastic

By 2030, zero waste will go to landfill and we will end all waste incineration. Any products that cannot be reused, repaired, refilled, recirculated or recycled will be designed out of the system. We will tackle the issue of plastic waste by immediately banning non-essential single-use plastics in 2021, including plastic bags, straws, cutlery, Styrofoam and nonbiodegradable wet-wipes.

As a stepping stone we will increase the statutory target for recycling of municipal waste to 80 per cent by 2026, adding more materials to the list of those that can be recycled, and setting new ambitious targets for commercial and industrial waste. We will introduce binding targets to halve food waste from farm to fork by 2030.

Recycling targets will be incentivised through a challenge fund for zero waste communities for towns, cities, villages and valleys that want to be pioneers in the journey to a circular economy.

We will legislate to make companies that produce packaging financially responsible for their environmental impact and create a Deposit Return Scheme for bottles and cans. To prevent waste we will introduce a levy on all single-use cups filled at the point of sale, payable by the consumer, in order to encourage the uptake of reusable alternatives.