If you are in the packaging industry, are a pack filler, brand owner or retailer, you may be interested in the summary of responses to the “Plastic Packaging Tax” consultation, published by the Government this month.
The Government wants to encourage the sustained use of more recycled plastic packaging to help tackle plastic waste – 44% of plastic used in the UK is single use.
In the 2018 Budget the Government announced its intention to introduce a world leading new tax on businesses that produce or import plastic packaging which uses insufficient recycled content, taking effect from April 2022. The tax rate will be high enough to incentivise businesses to use recycled material in the production of plastic packaging.
The consultation closed in May 2019 and the Government now publishes its findings. Given that the consultation was largely supportive of the tax design, it will set out its next steps in the 2019 Budget.