6. Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal: A deposit-return scheme and waste reduction Bill

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:00 pm on 25 November 2020.

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Photo of Suzy Davies Suzy Davies Conservative 4:00, 25 November 2020

I'd just like to register my support for these proposals as well. I echo what Llyr said about similar commitments appearing in manifestos and policy documents since 2016, and before that. So, I don't think it's unfair to draw attention to the fact that no decision has been made by Welsh Government in these intervening years. And while other contributors may want to blame this all on the UK Government and how long they're taking, that doesn't get away from the fact that it's Welsh Government that's behind them all. So, I'm hoping that Members will support the thrust of these proposals and send a strong signal to our constituents that we will seek primary legislation on this in the sixth Senedd, and I hope that that primary legislation is Janet's.

I have my own views on how well Welsh Government has prioritised its legislative programme over this in the last five years. We have had time for a Bill on this. But, in the meantime, I am grateful to the Deputy Minister for her virtual visit to RPC Tedeco-Gizeh, a factory in my region that produces single-use plastic cups for the NHS across the UK—these are not the cups that appear in the litter that Jenny Rathbone was talking about. It was an important visit, because it illustrated that there's existing legislation that limits the recycling of certain types of plastic that has been in contact with food and drink. And so I think we need to be clear that this scheme accommodates only that that's currently recyclable, whilst, at the same time, encouraging research into different types of plastic that could be used for food and drink. Certainly, the consultations were on two different types of plastic in particular.

The proposal refers to the wider aim of reducing waste as well, and the new challenge of how we handle all the disposable PPE. I think that the discarded face mask has become the new street litter and, of course, they contain plastic. I especially noticed Janet's reference to marine life, and hope that the UK's £0.5 billion blue planet fund will include consideration of this new type of litter.

But it's Welsh Government that needs to get cracking as well on its own first steps to achieve anything under the zero waste strategy. So, like I think it was Alun Davies mentioned, I'm happy to welcome Wales's good score and high recycling collection rate, but that is just collection; we don't hear about what happens to the recyclate and we have a responsibility there, perhaps even more than for the collection of the recycling in the first place.

Finally, a deposit scheme encourages personal responsibility and I think it would work well alongside other incentives that drinks providers currently offer—so, taking your own cup for use for takeaway drinks, for example. Just a quick shout out to the wonderful Hideout cafe at Kenfig nature reserve, who knock money off their coffee if you do just that, and it runs alongside a sort of refill culture that's starting to take off, with milk container refills looking particularly popular at the moment.

And finally, of course, the Senedd Commission has to publish an annual report on its policy action taken to meet sustainability targets, because there's more to it than getting rid of just single-use plastic, and, if we can do it, I don't see why Welsh Government can't do it for policies designed for the whole nation. Thank you.