Diolch, Llywydd. The issues of waste reduction, recycling, littering and single-use plastics are of great importance to our citizens and to all of us in this Senedd. Recycling has become part of who we are as a nation, and the fact that we've risen to third in the world in our recycling rates is due to the partnership working between Government, local government and the people of Wales. As a Government, we have ambitious plans to do more, so I therefore welcome the objectives and sentiment behind this motion.

Twenty years ago, Wales had a recycling rate of just 7 per cent, and, through our actions as a nation collectively, we've achieved a rate that is now more than 60 per cent, on our way to that 100 per cent recycling that we want to see by 2050. To do so, we have wide-ranging plans in place that will deliver many changes. We've just completed a consultation on banning nine single-use plastic items, going further than similar proposals in England, and the summary of responses to the consultation will be published shortly, and our aim is to bring the ban into force next year. We're also progressing work on a deposit-return scheme for drinks containers, and, again, we'll be publishing proposals early next year. And we also intend to publish proposals on how we tackle packaging waste, through an extended producer-responsibility scheme.

Powers for Welsh Ministers, alongside those of other devolved nations, to introduce both schemes have been included in the UK Environment Bill, which is currently at Committee Stage in the UK Parliament. The powers also include the ability to introduce charges for single-use plastic items, where appropriate, to reduce their use. Furthermore, to increase recycling for businesses and other organisations, we've already committed to introducing legislation that will require the separation of their waste by autumn 2021. And this will make it not only easier to recycle, but also ban recyclable material from going to landfill and incineration.

Like others, I'm very concerned about the littering of single-use items, the use of which has increased as a consequence of the COVID pandemic. Evidence from the annual British beach litter survey shows single-use face coverings and gloves on our beautiful beaches. To tackle this issue, we will be launching a social media campaign to encourage people to wear reusable face coverings where possible, or they should dispose of single-use ones responsibly.

Janet Finch-Saunders mentioned the work that's ongoing with Welsh Water at the current time in relation to wipes, and I have asked officials to discuss this to see what we can do, because it's clearly becoming a massive issue and something that we must deal with, I think, as a matter of urgency.

In terms of mandatory reporting, we've published recycling rates for Wales every year since devolution, and will continue to do so. The new deposit-return and extended producer-responsibility schemes will also include mandatory reporting, so that everyone can judge the success of these policies.

In relation to fly-tipping, this is an aspect that's just come back into my portfolio, and I've asked officials again to continue to look at fly-tipping, because it is certainly a blight on our communities, and the framework that Members referred to. I'm not quite sure why there was a link between bottles, because fly-tipping, generally, seems to be bigger items, but, again, it's something that we must continue to do more on.

So, although I agree with the objectives behind this motion, I don't think a separate Bill is required, as the relevant powers are included in the UK Environment Bill, as I've referred to. Unfortunately, though, the positive inclusion of these powers for Wales is tempered by the provisions in the UK internal market Bill, and this means, without amendment, our ability to act in the interests of Wales will be limited, and it does risk tying us to the lowest common standard within the UK. We've got a really successful history in this area, which has seen us progress faster than any other UK nation, and it's now a matter of pride, not just amongst ourselves, but amongst our citizens. So, I do not believe Wales's ability to continue to act in this area should be reduced in any way.

So, I do welcome today's debate, Llywydd, and we will continue to listen to the views from Members of the Senedd as the proposals I've outlined are developed further and implemented. Diolch.