Early day motion · EDM 49 · 17 May 2021
Proposal to end the export of plastic waste
Tabled by Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party)
34 signatures
The motion
That this House notes the publication of Greenpeace's report entitled Trashed - how the UK is still dumping plastic waste on the rest of the world; further notes with concern that the UK generates more plastic waste per person than any country besides the US and, in 2020, exported 40 per cent of its plastic waste - 210,000 tonnes - to Turkey where investigations have found some of that waste to have been illegally dumped and burned; understands that the UK and EU member states have rules designed to prevent the export of plastic waste unless it is to be recycled; notes its concern that those rules appear to have been broken; joins Greenpeace's calls for the Government to take control over that problem in light of what it describes as the Government's reckless decision to send plastic waste to Turkey given that country lacks the infrastructure to cope with that waste; and calls on the Government to take urgent steps to reduce the volume of single use and mixed plastics, end the export of plastic waste and enact the Environment Bill as soon as possible.
Source: the official Early Day Motions database.