Resources and Waste Strategy
Overview
The Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) was published in December 2018 and sets out the actions the government aims to take to preserve material resources by minimising waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a Circular Economy in England[1]. It also sets long term policy direction in line with the 25- Year Environment Plan including doubling resource productivity and eliminating avoidable waste of all kinds by 2050[1].
The RWS is divided into a number of chapters[1]:
- Sustainable Production
- Helping consumers take more considered actions
- Resource recovery and waste managment
- Tackling waste crime
- Cutting down on food waste
- International Leadership
- Research and Innovation
- Measuring progress: data, monitoring and evaluation
Chapter 1 - Sustainable Production
The chapter sets out how the government aims to[1]:
- invoke the ‘polluter pays’ principle and extend producer responsibility for packaging, ensuring that producers pay the full costs of disposal for packaging they place on the market
- stimulate demand for recycled plastic by introducing a tax on plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled plastic
- harness the potential of extended producer responsibility for other product types
- set minimum requirements through ecodesign to encourage resource efficient product design
- manage chemicals sustainably and address barriers to reuse and recycling posed by their use, through a Chemicals Strategy
- develop a model for realising resource efficiency savings, working with businesses through ‘resource efficiency clusters’
Chapter 2 - Helping consumers take more considered actions
This chapter discusses how the government aims to help consumers choose and use more sustainable products, including how to extend the lives of products through repair, reuse and remanufacture and to encourage consumers to recycle the materials that the products contain and to then dispose of them in the most environmentally sensitive way[1].
The chapter sets out how the government aims to[1]:
- incentivise consumers to purchase sustainably
- provide consumers with better information on the sustainability of their purchases
- ban plastic products where there is a clear case for it and alternatives exist
- address barriers to reuse
- support the market for remanufactured goods
- encourage appropriate disposal of used products
- lead by example though procurement and the Greening Government Commitments