6. Statement by the Minister for Environment: Wales's Recycling Performance, Building the Foundations of a Circular Economy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:23 pm on 23 October 2018.

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Photo of Hannah Blythyn Hannah Blythyn Labour 5:23, 23 October 2018

Can I thank the Member for her questions? You mentioned two fantastic initiatives there, both FRAME and Natural Weigh, both of which I'm familiar with and have visited. I actually went to Natural Weigh and they had some lovely chocolate that I took away from there as well. I will absolutely join you in congratulating them on the award they've already won, and wish them every success in the UK awards. I'm sure it will be very well deserved as well, because when I went to visit them, to see their enthusiasm and how they've taken that idea from elsewhere, but now they're actually helping others across the country to take that, and share these shops, setting up far and wide—. I think you're absolutely right in terms of the role that reuse needs to play in terms of our route-map towards a circular economy, as we go forward and consulting on that, because it not only has environmental benefits, and economic benefits, but there's a whole social justice agenda that's part of it in terms of how it's enabling people and actually supporting people to be able to not just access furniture and equipment, but also to develop skills and employment opportunities in the future.

You've named two very good enterprises there, and of course, yes, we've got our £6.5 million circular economy fund, which we will target at those Welsh enterprises and focus it on more sustainable plastic producers—how they produce things, and the content that goes into it. With larger companies, we've seen a few setting the agenda and saying they're going to change, but it's in small steps. I think one of the key things for that is actually looking at this extended producer responsibility—so, the producer takes more of the responsibility in terms of the packaging that they are producing and how they're producing it, what's gone into it, what happens at the end of its life, and modulated fees as part of that, which will make producers have to think about and change their design and what they do with things afterwards.