MPs call for ban on plastic waste exports

Responding to the call by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee for a ban on the export of all plastic waste, Megan Corton Scott, political campaigner at Greenpeace UK said:

The fact that the UK continues to foist huge amounts of our plastic waste onto other nations makes a mockery of the claim that the UK is a leader in combating plastic pollution. It is not leadership to simply offload our plastic problem onto other, poorer countries – leaving their communities blighted by health hazards and environmental damage that the dumping and burning of this waste causes. That’s why this report will be welcomed by environmental campaigners at home and abroad – and the government must act upon its recommendations.

Through our Big Plastic Count campaign, over 60,000 people responded to Environment Act Targets consultation, representing over a third of all responses. A core demand was for a ban on all plastic waste exports. Many more have written to their MPs asking for the same. This government has already failed to meet their own deadline in setting these crucial environmental targets – but there is still time for urgent action on plastic pollution.They should finally listen to the thousands of people calling for a ban on waste exports – including their own MPs – and end this practice once and for all.