The UK government has launched a series of consultations into waste management to cut plastic pollution and address other waste issues. One of the policies being consulted upon is a tax on plastic packaging that does not meet at least 30 per cent recycled content. This would be a world first and could lead the way to encourage recycling.
UK Government Provides Waste Consultation
The current domestic recycling confusion will be addressed by a unified approach with a set standard of expected recycling throughout the country. The cost of this is proposed to be met with an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Such a scheme would be expected to raise between £800M and £1B per year dedicated to recycling and disposal.
These consultations may lead to a more widespread application of EPR across other waste streams, such as tyres.
There is already a lobby from the tyre industry pushing for the introduction of an EPR scheme in the UK. The need for such a scheme is contested by the TRA, but some TRA members are in favour of a scheme that they see would help address illegal collection and disposal and which might put funding into developing the recycling sector in the UK. Peter Taylor of the TRA remains adamant that the recycling fees do not work. “TRA members recycle [or dispose] of every tyre they collect. The Responsible Recycler Scheme is proven to work
