A draft UK law that would sets a legal framework for ending single-use plastic pollution by 2042 is set for its first reading in the House of Commons later today, having secured the backing of campaign groups and MPs from across the political spectrum.
The Phase-out of Plastic Pollution Bill, proposes a ban on all non-essential single-use plastic items in the UK by 2025, and calls on Environment Secretary Michael Gove to draft a strategy setting out robust policies needed to meet the new phase-out dates.
Its overarching aim is to eradicate plastics pollution from human activity in the UK by 2042.
In support of the goal, the law would establish a new Committee on Plastics Pollution to advise the government on what policies and targets should be included in the strategy, as well as to identify the various impacts of different plastic materials on the environment and monitor progress towards targets.