Recycling minister Rebecca Pow has said she is “concerned” claims about the biodegradability of plastic-based products could cause “environmental harm”.
Mrs Pow was responding in a written answer on 12 November to a question posed by the Conservative MP and former environment secretary, Theresa Villiers. Ms Villiers had asked current environment secretary George Eustice if he would ban people from describing plastic as compostable if it converted into CO2 and not into compost.
Rebecca Pow was responding to a question posed by the Conservative MP and former environment secretary, Theresa Villiers
The conversion of plastic into CO2 is a requirement of EN 13432:2000, Ms Villiers said, an EU standard which lays down minimum requirements for packaging to be recoverable through composting and biodegradation. It has been adopted by national standards bodies in several EU member states.
Mrs Pow said: “Only packaging which has passed relevant tests and assessments can carry the standard. It has not been adopted into UK legislation.
“We are concerned that, in the absence of robust standards, claims about the biodegradability of plastic-based products cannot be verified”
“Turning to standards and biodegradability more broadly, we are concerned that, in the absence of robust standards, claims about the biodegradability of plastic-based products cannot be verified, leading to potential confusion in the marketplace, possible increased levels of consumption and potential environmental harm at the point of disposal.
“Furthermore, concerns persist that plastics which are claimed to be biodegradable, if littered or otherwise released into the environment in an uncontrolled way, may not degrade quickly or at all, and they can only be composted if they meet relevant standards.”
Symphony
Ms Villier’s question comes in the wake of differing views within the ‘biodegradable’ sector regarding different types of degradable plastics.
Rebecca Pow is recycling minister
On 22 October, more than 40 organisations including retailers and trade associations wrote an open letter calling for a ban on plastics containing additives to make them degrade (see letsrecycle.com story).
Last week, the director of Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc and former Tory MP Michael Stephen penned an opinion piece for letsrecycle.com arguing there should be no ban on so-called ‘oxo-biodegradable’ technology (see letsrecycle.com story). Symphony is a company which develops additives for biodegradable plastics.
In his article, Mr Stephen revealed Ms Villiers had written to him saying she saw “no justification” for banning oxo-biodegradable plastic.
On 12 November, Mrs Pow said the government had published a call for evidence in July 2019 to help consider the development of standards or certification criteria for bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. The call for evidence closed on 14 October 2019. Mrs Pow said a response would be published by the end of the year.
‘Open environment’
Ms Villiers also asked how much non-biodegradable plastic Mr Eustice estimated had escaped into the open environment in England and its territorial waters in the last 12 months. Alongside this, she asked what the government’s policy was on plastic which escapes into the open environment and cannot be collected.
Theresa Villiers also asked how much non-biodegradable plastic George Eustice estimated had escaped into England’s territorial waters in the last 12 months
Mrs Pow responded: “The government’s 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.
“Our priority is preventing plastic from entering the marine or terrestrial environment, and our focus is on creating a circular economy.
“The UK is recycling more than ever, achieving a 46% plastic packaging recycling rate in 2017, and the Government is committed to minimising the movement of waste for disposal elsewhere.”
She added: “The government does not hold data that differentiates between non-biodegradable and biodegradable plastic litter.”
‘Potential environmental harm’
Ms Villiers posed her questions in light of answer given to her by Mrs Pow on 27 October in response to a previous question relating to oxo-biodegradable plastics. Ms Villiers then asked Mr Eustice what assessment he had made of the implications of his policies for Symphony’s oxo-biodegradable technology.
Mrs Pow said: “The government recognises that innovation into biodegradable plastics could help reduce the environmental impacts of plastics if they are disposed of in the right way. However, this is often not the case.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
