Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:05 pm on 24 May 2022.
First Minister, I'm sure that you would join me in thanking the 7,000 people in Wales who have signed up to take part in the Big Plastic Count. Their selflessness and their efforts will now provide a national snapshot of the plastic waste problem that actually plagues our communities. However, there is no denying that further action needs to be taken to tackle the plastic plague. WRAP Cymru worked with Monmouthshire County Council recently to review their choice of switching from single-use plastic milk bottles to reusable glass milk bottles. It found that the move to glass resulted in cost savings of 39 per cent for the local authority and a 25 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Rhondda Cynon Taf alone recycled 750 tonnes of glass last year—enough to make bottles to contain 2.7 million pints of milk. Now, I think that this is a really good example to follow. So, First Minister, speaking of supermarkets, would you consider working with them in an effort to see whether they would transition to the greater use of glass instead of plastic? Diolch.