The Environmental Audit Committee has launched an inquiry into the damage that disposable drinks packaging is doing to the environment.
Launched on 4 March 2017, the inquiry will focus on plastic bottles and single-use coffee cups, examining the actions that are being taken by the industry and Government to reduce waste generated by coffee cups and plastic bottles, and will investigate possible solutions.
Mary Creagh MP, the Committee’s chair, said of the inquiry: “Our throwaway society has given us a tide of litter on our beaches, dead seabirds and fish, and plastic in our food. We all enjoy a takeaway coffee or tea, but the cups they are served in are particularly difficult to recycle because they combine plastic coating and cardboard. Our inquiry will be taking a serious look at solutions like the use of different materials, behaviour change, better recycling and bottle deposit return schemes.”
The committee says that with the rate of household recycling currently at 44 per cent, the UK is falling short of the Government’s target to increase the rate of plastic packaging recycling to 57 per cent by the end of 2017. Plastic bottles and coffee cups are particularly problematic, with only half of the 35 million plastic bottles sold in Britain every day currently collected for recycling. Around 7 million cardboard coffee cups are thrown away each day, but only 1 in 400 are recycled, leaving over 6.98m going to landfill or ending up in the environment.
The committee welcomes submissions to the inquiry on how the committee can help increase recycling and reduce the amount of disposable packaging ending up in landfill or the environment. Specific topics for discussion include:
Written submissions must be received by 5pm, Wednesday 5 April 2017. Written submissions to the inquiry can be made online.
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