Environment Secretary Michael Gove has set out an informal 4-point plan to deal with the amount of plastics used in the UK, according to reports.
He told BBC News that he wants to “reduce the amount of plastic used in the UK, and to make it simpler for people to recycle”.
Mr Gove outlined his thoughts during an informal meeting, stating he wants to:
- cut the total amount of plastic in circulation.
- reduce the number of different plastics in use, because that will help recycling firms
- improve the rate of recycling, which has been slipping recently.
- and make it easier for individuals to know what goes into the recycling bin and what goes into general rubbish.
In a previous meeting, Mr Gove said he wants questions and challenges addressed in a cross-sector agreed plan that could eventually inform the forthcoming Resources and Waste Strategy.
The plan follows the announcement in this year’s Autumn Budget that the Government intends to consult on a potential levy for single-use plastics.
Jeremy Darroch, chief executive of Sky, commented on the news, saying: “If you walked into a bathroom overflowing with water, what would you do? You wouldn’t start mopping up the water, you would turn off the tap.
“That’s what we’re doing with plastics and why we welcome the four point plan from Michael Gove. More businesses need to turn off their own plastic tap – now.”
Sky recently committed to transform its business operations by eliminating all single-use plastics from its operations, products and supply chain by 2020.
