November 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference focuses on next steps for reducing avoidable plastic waste, examining priorities and latest developments.
The discussion is bringing stakeholders together with key policy officials who are due to attend from BEIS; MHCLG; Defra; the FSA; the HSE; DfT; DIT; CAFRE; DAERA, NI; the Northern Ireland Environment Agency; Northern Ireland Assembly; The Scottish Government and the Welsh Government.
The discussion at a glance:
- plastic waste management - next steps for improvement and learning from those leading the way
- behaviour change - strategies for encouraging it in businesses, households and individuals
- innovation - in materials, product design and business practices - particularly in the food sector
- policy developments - the Environment Bill, voluntary commitments, extended producer responsibility, and options for further developments in regulation, enforcement and incentives
- COVID-19 - the impact on waste management services and processes, and those working in the sector, as well as what can be learned for the future, including:
- service disruption - the impact of the closures of recycling plants and changes to waste collection procedures during the crisis
- household behaviour - changes during the pandemic, including the effect of reduced waste collection
- best practice - what can be learned from the heightened safety and public health measures put in place that might inform procedures going forward
- policy disruption - the effect on longer-term plastic waste policy implementation of the temporary requirements for one-time use of plastics in clinical, retail and other settings
Key areas for discussion:
- the Environment Bill - assessing provisions for bans and charges for classes of plastic, extended producer responsibility reform, labelling, deposit return schemes and consistent collection policies
- domestic waste management - priorities for progress on targets for increasing recycling rates eliminating single use plastic and standardising collection
- consumer engagement and awareness:
- waste separation - improving consumer knowledge, and whether more needs to be done to enable or mandate the separation of materials prior to collection
- learning from others - policy and practice outside the UK, with a case study from Copenhagen
- behaviour change - developments in design and consumer messages
- future options - looking at single use plastics beyond plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, and what can be learnt from the introduction of charges on single use carrier bags
- business practice:
- progress - looking at reduction in plastic use whilst maintaining safety in clinical, workplace and other settings - and assessing the impact of measures implemented in the wake of COVID-19
- engagement - strategies for incentivising businesses and producer responsibility
- voluntary or mandated? - the future balance of industry-led and government-mandated targets
- innovation - latest developments in packaging and product design, ensuring perishable product shelf-life, consumer and business engagement, and new minimum design requirements
- infrastructure - next steps for developing effective and comprehensive UK plastic waste management and recycling facilities
- enforcement - reducing illegal waste activities, assessing measures in the Environment Bill for business waste management practices, and introduction of an electronic waste tracking system
Relevant policy developments at a glance:
- the Environment Bill, with plans within its resources and waste management chapter for:
- new measures - bans on specific types of unrecyclable plastic and new powers for national authorities to introduce charges for single-use plastics
- EPR scheme reform - with greater responsibility for producers for disposal, and encouragement to innovate product design
- labelling - clearer information on products so that they can easily be identified as recyclable
- DRS - introduction of deposit return schemes to encourage on the go recycling
- ending variation - addressing differences between authorities in materials collected from households and business
- the ongoing Courtauld Commitment 2025, The UK Plastics Pact, and the Resources and Waste Strategy for England, and Introducing a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in England, Wales and NI
- Circular Economy Package policy statement - from Defra, which aims to increase recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill or incineration plants
- legislation:
- single use plastics - ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds now in effect across England following delays attributed to the pandemic
- the Plastic packaging tax - being proposed on packaging made of less than 30% recycled content from April 2022
- War on plastic waste stepped up with extension of plastic bag charge - increased charges on plastic bags up to 10p to be put in place across all retailers from April 2021
- Standards for biodegradable, compostable, and bio-based plastics - with a government response still awaited following consultation
- The Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) challenge - in the Industrial Strategy Grand Challenge Fund, with UKRI competitions to develop smarter plastics and more efficient recycling systems
- an extended producer responsibility system for packaging - Defra proposing its introduction in 2023, following further consultation in 2020
The agenda:
- The UK Plastics Pact and the Courtauld Commitment 2025 - progress to date and priorities for international collaboration
- Case study from Copenhagen: increasing recycling rates and innovation in home collection
- Improving domestic plastic waste management - safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, standardised collections, developing recycling infrastructure, and opportunities for the introduction of a deposit return scheme
- Reducing plastic waste - industry priorities, innovation, and developing reusable, hygienic and sustainable materials:
- Opportunities for innovating product design and developing materials
- Supporting innovation and reducing the usage of in plastic packaging in the food and retail sector
- Challenges for extended producer responsibility - preventing and redistributing surplus materials
- Encouraging change in consumer behaviour
- The importance of a full lifecycle circular economy: advocating for lifting the discussion beyond an end-of-life perspective
- The role of environmental standards in reducing plastic pollution and ensuring the sustainability of new materials
- Reducing plastic use in health and social care whilst maintaining cleanliness and patient safety
- Next steps for policy and taking forward the Environment Bill
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders. Places have been reserved by officials from BEIS; MHCLG; Defra; the Food Standards Agency; the Department for International Trade; Health and Safety Executive; CAFRE; the Department of Transport; DAERA, NI; the Northern Ireland Environment Agency; Northern Ireland Assembly; The Scottish Government and the Welsh Government.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
