Merry General Election! It’s the first December General Election since 1923, which happily means I don’t have to think about Christmas until it’s all over, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.
As the 12th December lurches its way into view, I take a look at where the major parties stand on issues surrounding plastics, recycling, and the environment, so you don’t have to.
Conservatives
Within their manifesto, the Conservatives have said they will implement: “the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth.”
It continues: “We will continue to lead the world in tackling plastics pollution, both in the UK and internationally, and will introduce a new levy to increase the proportion of recyclable plastic in packaging.”
“We will introduce extended producer responsibility, so that producers pay the full costs of dealing with the waste they produce, and boost domestic recycling. We will ban the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries, consulting with industry, NGO’s, and local councils on the date by which this should be achieved.”
“We will crack down on the waste and carelessness that destroys our natural environment and kills marine life. We will increase penalties for fly-tipping, make those on community sentences cream up their parks and streets, and introduce a deposit return scheme to incentivise people to recycle plastic and glass.”
The Conservatives also say they have: “a long tradition of protecting animals in this country”, which will surely come as a shock to a large number of foxes and badgers.
Labour
Labour say that: “We’ll take on the global plastics crisis by investing in a new plastics remanufacturing industry creating thousands of jobs, ending exports of plastic waste, and reducing our contribution to ocean pollution.”
“We will make producers responsible for the waste they create and for the full cost of recycling or disposal, encouraging more sustainable design and manufacturing.”
“In government in Wales, Labour has transformed the position of recycling, placing them in the top five globally for recycling rates. A UK Labour government will learn from Wale’s example, and will also back bottle-return schemes.”
“We will invest in three new recyclable steel plants in areas with a proud history of steel manufacturing.”
Labour will also build 7,000 new offshore wind turbines, and 2,000 new onshore wind turbines, which is bad news for Donald Trump.
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats will introduce a: “Zero-Waste and Resource Efficiency Act to ensure that the UK moves towards a circular economy, including banning non-recyclable single-use plastics and replacing them with affordable alternatives, aiming for their complete elimination within three years, as a first step towards ending the ‘throwaway culture’ and an ambition to end plastic waste exports by 2020.”
“We will introduce legally binding targets for reducing the consumption of key natural resources and other incentives for businesses to improve resource efficiency.”
“We will extend deposit return schemes for all food and drink bottles and containers, working with the devolved administrations to ensure consistency across the UK, and establish a statutory waste recycling target of 70 per cent in England, extend separate food waste collections to at least 90 per cent of homes by 2024, and strengthen incentives to ensure consistency across the UK.”
The Lib Dems also say they are: “the only party with a detailed plan to lead global efforts to lead global efforts to combat the climate emergency”, but it is unclear whether these efforts, including: “ambitious new legally binding targets to protect global biodiversity”, will remain in place if Jo Swinson decides to launch a nuclear strike.
The Green Party
The Green Party’s main focus is The New Green Deal, which will: “rebalance industry, away from the carbon past and towards the renewable future.”
“Our Green New Deal for industry will ban the production of single-use plastics for use in packaging and invest in research and development into alternatives for plastic. We will also extend the successful tax on plastic bags to cover plastic bottles, single-use plastics, and microplastics, and extend plastic bottle deposit schemes.”
“We will develop and implement a reformed waste strategy where manufacturers and retailers are required to pay the full cost of recycling and disposing of the packaging they produce.”
“We will also support councils to promote waste prevention innovations and to increase recycling.”
The Greens will also stop the building of any new airport runways, meaning Boris Johnson can breathe a sigh of relief at the news that he won’t have to put himself at the mercy of a fleet of bulldozers at Heathrow.
Brexit Party
The Brexit Party say: “In addition to planting millions of trees, we will promote a global initiative at the UN. We will recycle our own waste and make it illegal for it to be exported across the world to be burnt, buried, or dumped at sea.”
Even the relatively minor proposition to plant millions of trees is a highly ambitious one from the Brexit Party’s point of view, mainly because they will not be standing in 317 seats in the election.
Analysis
There is continuity throughout the manifestos of the major parties, with the implementation of extended producer responsibility and a deposit return scheme seeing prominence.
There is a marked focus on both the environmental and plastic waste crises compared to the last General Election, and both issues manage to be visible throughout the major manifestos, even with the shadow of Brexit.
On the 22nd November, (before the release of the Conservative manifesto), the Environmental Services Association responded to the content of the Labour, Green Party, and Liberal Democrat manifestos (and also offered much better analysis than I can).
Jacob Hayler, Executive Director of the ESA, said: “Although Labour’s position on recycling and waste occupies just three paragraphs of a manifesto exceeding one hundred pages, it is comforting to see that cross-party support exists for full-cost extended producer responsibility.”
“This policy, currently proposed as part of Defra’s Resources & Waste Strategy, is a fundamental driving force towards higher recycling rates and a more resource-efficient, sustainable economy, and will have a profound impact on the way recycling and waste services are delivered.”
“In its ‘Green New Deal for Industry’, The Green Party manifesto evokes the circular economy as its guiding principle, and also pledges to implement full cost producer responsibility.”
“In addition, it targets product design standards but, uniquely, singles out vehicles and a range of common household items for improvement, aiming for better durability, reparability, and energy-efficiency.”
“Interestingly, it is the only party to set out an intention to encourage a societal shift of ownership model to goods as services, although the manifesto doesn’t say how this would be encouraged or incentivised in practice.”
“The Liberal Democrats propose a ‘Zero-Waste & Resource-Efficiency Act’ to stimulate a circular economy, although their proposals see, a little piecemeal. They pledge to eliminate single-use plastics within three years, introduce deposit return schemes for all food and drink containers, achieve better product design for repairability and reuse, introduce legally binding targets on the consumption of natural resources, and introduce a statutory national recycling target of 70 per cent.”
“However, it is not clear how these changes are going to be achieved or incentive, or how these policies will make the UK less reliant on volatile global markets for recycled product.”
“It would seem, therefore, that radical changes are on the horizon for the resources and waste sector regardless of the political colour of the next Government.”
“ESA Members have promised to invest more than £10 billion over the next ten years, but this is contingent on the right policy framework being in place, and, whatever the outcome of the election, it is essential that the new Government provides our sector with confidence that these policies will be implemented without further delay.”