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As the new plan has been released it is our intention to support the industry as much as possible with accurate, timely information. You can download the plan itself here
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Some key points in the plan
Single Use Plastics
- Coffee cups: to work "over time" towards the elimination of disposable coffee cups stream through the introduction of a “latte levy” in 2022, trialling the elimination of coffee cups entirely in selected areas, the introduction of measures to ban their unnecessary use, an eventual full ban on disposable cups
- Cold drink cups: examine the prohibition of the use of disposable cold drinks cups at large scale events, develop proposals for a levy on cold drinks cups, legislate to ban their unnecessary use and to oblige retailers to give a reduction to consumers who use reusable cup
- Containers: We will impose environmental levies on food containers
Food Waste
- to work with a range of stakeholders to develop a Food Waste Prevention Roadmap
- to support food donation and investigate ways to simplify food donation for business
- to investigate the potential impact of a prohibition on the destruction of edible food in advance of its ‘use by’ date and review whether mandatory donation of edible food from retail outlets would reduce food waste.
Commitment to targets
- ahead of the introduction of EU targets, to adopt national reuse targets
- to introduce reuse and repair targets through the National Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy
- to setting a minimum target for procurement of used goods
- to support a voluntary target with retailers and the processing industry for a percentage of edible food to be donated.
- to halve food waste by 2030 (through e.g. working with stakeholders on a Food Waste Prevention Roadmap that sets out actions to deliver the reductions necessary to halve our food waste by 2030)
