Packaging News

The Welsh government has floated the idea of extending its 5p bag charge to other products and packaging

In its recently published consultation on waste prevention, the Welsh government says the 5p fee that shoppers pay for carrier bags has cut the number of bags in use and raised money for charity.

The Welsh government says it will “investigate the opportunities and benefits that could be derived from building on the success of the carrier bag charge, by extending to other products and packaging”.

It also states that there is “no intention to introduce any new charges in the short term, but if they were deemed necessary after assessing the impact of voluntary measures, they may be considered in the medium to longer term”.

 ‘One of a number of measures’

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “There is currently no plan to introduce any new charges for packaging. This is just one of a number of measures that were considered as part of the Waste Prevention Programme consultation document.

“We will build upon the success of voluntary initiatives such as the Courtauld Commitment which has made significant progress in helping retailers achieve ambitious waste reduction and recycling targets. We are also looking to enhance our support for manufacturers in Wales to help them increase productivity and competitiveness by creating products that use less in terms of resources and can be recycled more easily.”

Addressing the issue, of the carrier bag charge which was introduced in October 2011, the document says that a recent survey of attitudes indicated that the charge is now supported by around 70% of people in Wales.

It also says that more money has been raised for environmental causes.

Ideas

Elsewhere, the consultation also acknowledges that packaging serves “an important purpose in protecting goods and ensuring that they are delivered in good condition, but sometimes consumers feel that goods are over-packaged”.

The consultation asks the question ‘Have you got any ideas about how we can tackle this? What would help you do more to reduce this type of waste?’

In the blurb before the consultation question, the document says the “focus should be on right-weighting”. It also says that “there has been significant progress in the packaging surrounding food products in recent years, but there is still more to do”.

“The packaging waste generated by online shopping, which has increased significantly over recent years, will also be tackled,” the document says.

The consultation runts until 20 June.