The UK Chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced plans to consult on “a new tax on the manufacture and import of plastic packaging which contains less than 30 per cent recycled plastic,” during his budget statement on 29 October. “Plastic is a global problem that we need to tackle head on,” Hammond said. The budget also included £20m ($25.5m) of funding for plastics recycling improvements, £10m for plastics research and development, and £10m to explore new approaches to improving recycling and reducing litter.
The UK Chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced plans to consult on “a new tax on the manufacture and import of plastic packaging which contains less than 30 per cent recycled plastic,” during his budget statement on 29 October. Hammond claimed that the tax, which will come into effect from 1 April 2022, in conjunction with reforms of the Packaging Producer Responsibility System regulations, would “transform the economics of sustainable packaging”. The budget also included £20m ($25.5m) of funding for plastics recycling improvements, £10m for plastics research and development, and £10m to explore new approaches to improving recycling and reducing litter.