To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on progress to create a plan to eliminate plastic pollution as proposed in New Decade, New Approach.

In the New Decade, New Approach deal, the Executive is tasked with actions to address climate change including creating a plan to eliminate plastic pollution.

My Department has been exploring a range of approaches including partnering with Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful (KNIB) and Sustainable NI in a Tackling Plastic project that is working with schools and businesses and with the public sector in identifying practical ways to reduce or eliminate many unnecessary single-use plastics (SUP). As part of this work my Department has taken advice from other UK government departments and has been engaging with other agencies, departments and including working with Department of Finance, Construction & Procurement Delivery colleagues to find ways to encourage suppliers to reduce their SUP consumption. Catering and cleaning contracts have been reviewed and wording has already been altered to include an Environmental Statement referring to reducing SUP.

I am also working closely with my Ministerial colleagues across the UK in introducing legislation to promote a Circular Economy waste package which will help to keep plastic in the economy and out of the environment. Together with other UK Ministers I am considering introducing legislation on a Deposit Return Scheme and an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme, both of which would significantly help to increase the rate of plastic recycling and would be supported by a HM Treasury plastic packaging tax that is specifically designed to incentivise the market for recycled plastic.

I hope you will appreciate that these measures to conserve resources through reuse and recycling would support the twin aims of reducing plastic pollution and addressing climate change.