The cross-party Committee wants a new strategy to use less plastic, re-use more of it and boost recycling.
An estimated 380 million tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide every year, but the enduring nature of plastic products - often designed for single use - has led to a major waste issue, particularly involving plastic packaging for consumer and industrial goods.
The UK exports around 60 per cent of the over 2.5 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste it creates. Turkey has become the main destination for this waste following China’s decision in 2018 to ban non-industrial plastic waste imports.
However, as with China, instead of the plastic waste being recycled, there are numerous reports of shipments emanating from the UK simply being dumped and burned in Turkey, causing “irreversible and shocking” environmental and human health impacts.
The Committee has therefore recommended restricting the amount of plastic that can be exported from the UK...