Member

Defra’s impact assessment indicated that implementing the pEPR will hit expenditure for the average household by between £27.98 and £55.95 per year. This may seem small but, as it stands, consumers will pay more for glass than plastic. British Glass estimates that a basket of 10 household items with glass packaging will cost the consumer an extra 52.18p in pEPR taxes, whereas the same products in plastic would pay just 7.89p in pEPR fees. This is a direct incentive to use more plastic, which is a lot less recyclable. Surely this cannot be what the Government intend, given the devastating effect of plastic on the environment. I am surprised that Defra has not designed the pEPR to take account of the per unit cost, which would create a level playing field for all materials. Is the Minister able to say why this has not been part of the scheme and whether she will ensure that it becomes part of it?