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Petition · past parliament · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Ban all black plastic that cannot be detected by NIR (recycling) technology.

Closed 463 signatures

What the petition asks

While a tiny proportion of specialised black plastics can be recycled, the vast majority cannot. Some major supermarkets have agreed to ban its use but the government should prevent ANY business from producing or selling this destructive material. At least 10,000 tonnes are still produced each year.
According to the British Plastics Federation a cross-industry group committed to 'Finding sustainable solutions by the end of 2018 that will enable the recycling of all black plastic'. This has not happened. The world cannot wait for the arduous and difficult process of making black plastic recyclable simply because it 'makes food look more appealing'. Its use is cosmetic. The UK government should lead the way by banning the production of unrecyclable black plastics by the end of this year.

Timeline

24 Sep 2020 Petition opened for signatures
24 Mar 2021 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 463
Status Closed
Department Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Opened 24 Sep 2020
Closed 24 Mar 2021

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.