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

End requirement on producers to financially incentivize export of plastic waste

Closed 29 signatures

What the petition asks

We want the Government to take simple, immediate action to stop UK plastic waste going abroad, by immediately removing the requirement that packaging producers effectively subsidize the recycling industry to export plastic waste through the packaging export recovery notes (PERN) system.
Removing this requirement for exports only, while continuing to incentivize processing plastic in the UK, could stop the dumping of low-grade plastic material in other countries. It could allow the UK plastic industry to compete and also encourage investment in needed infrastructure in the UK. This move could the cost to government while also showing that we are serious about stopping the dumping of low grade plastic waste abroad by removing the financial incentive.

Timeline

26 May 2021 Petition opened for signatures
26 Nov 2021 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 29
Status Closed
Department Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Opened 26 May 2021
Closed 26 Nov 2021

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