Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any steps his Department is taking to reduce the amount of plastic waste.
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs: Plastic pollution is causing environmental harm on our land and in our seas and I am working proactively to reduce this negative impact. I have ambitious goals to protect our environment from plastic pollution, reduce unnecessary waste and promote sustainability.
DAERA is leading on work to bring forward a plan aimed at tackling the problem of plastic pollution in Northern Ireland. This Plastic Pollution Plan, currently being finalised to incorporate feedback from the consultation process, will set the course for Northern Ireland to be part of the plastic solution and become a leader in driving the necessary change. The plan will collate the targets incorporated in existing policies and strategies and identify actions that will contribute to eliminating unnecessary plastic in Northern Ireland.
My Department’s work to date includes the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, delivered in partnership with other devolved governments. The scheme which went live in April 2025 focuses on the following objectives:
Reduce the amount of packaging placed on the market and increase the reuse of packaging
Incentivise the use of more sustainable packaging materials
Improve the quality and quantity of packaging material recycled across the UK
Prevent packaging becoming waste.
In June 2025 my Department introduced legislation to ban single use vapes, followed by legislation to ban the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic in November 2025.
My Department is also working alongside England and Scotland on the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme for single use drinks containers from October 2027. The scheme aims to achieve a recycling rate of 90% for these items within 3 years of launch
The Carrier Bag Levy, the most extensive of its kind across the UK, has already removed approximately 2.65 billion bags from circulation across Northern Ireland, and extends to bags of all materials, not just plastic bags. Environmental projects funded by the levy include those aimed at promoting reuse, recycling and sustainability across Northern Ireland.
On that theme, to coincide with Earth Day on 22nd April DAERA launched a two-week public media campaign to encourage the use of reusable cups to help reduce what ends up in landfill. This media campaign focused on reducing our reliance on single-use plastic cups by adding a reusable cup to people’s checklist before leaving the house – keys, phone, money, cup. It is a reminder that prevention and reuse are crucial to tackling our throwaway culture and demonstrates how one small change can make a significant impact. The campaign featured on billboards, Translink buses and on our social media channels.
Alongside taking direction action, my Department will continue to inspire and educate on consumption reduction, demonstrating my commitment to move forward together to deliver our goals to protect our climate, drive green growth and reduce unnecessary waste, whilst tackling the scourge of litter in our communities.
ENDS
Your MLA 