9. What preparations has the Welsh Government made for the European week for waste reduction? OAQ(5)0268(FM)

We take the view that every week is a week for waste reduction. We are the only country in the UK to set waste reduction targets, and, since 2006-07, we have reduced our household waste by 14 per cent.

I think Wales has an excellent story to tell, and our very modest levy on plastic bags has had an unbelievable impact in terms of 70 per cent reduction of plastic bag use. The focus of the European week is on reducing the amount of wasteful packaging, and we know from Plastics Europe, which is a trade association for plastics manufacturers, that about two thirds of the plastic used each year in the UK is on packaging. Now, the German Government introduced legislation on this in 1996, which compelled manufacturing companies to redesign wasteful packaging out of their processes to avoid waste, and Germany is now the top European nation for recycling: 70 per cent of the waste generated is successfully recovered and reused each year. What do you think Wales could do to follow the example of Germany, as we know that people in our community rail against the fact that there is so much unnecessary plastic wrapped up in whatever they purchase?

The difficulty with it, of course, is that much of what we buy comes from outside even the EU. With China particularly, the packaging is substantial because of the distance that goods will travel. So, there is a difficulty for me in saying, ‘Right, we're going to have a closed cycle in Wales’, because Wales is so small. I think there is scope for doing it at a UK level and an EU level to encourage there to be fewer—for there to be less possible waste at the beginning of the process to not have to deal with the arisings at the end. But, for me, this is something that should be dealt with at a much bigger level, an international level, a global level, to make sure that we reduce the amount of potential waste in the first place.

There is one thing that we can do in Wales, First Minister, on the basis of the plastic bags levy, and that is a deposit-return scheme so that the plastic bottles that are used today in Wales are re-used and returned, and that deposit is repaid, rather than them ending up on our beaches.

Well, as regards the plastic bottles, of course, it is possible to recycle plastic bottles. I know that local authorities collect those bottles separate—some of them, anyway—to ordinary waste. So, it was very important for us to ensure that plastic bags are dealt with in this way, because of the fact that they are not recycled and also not biodegradable. But, of course, ultimately, we will have to consider alternative ways of recycling more.