The Plastic Budget Update

Before publishing my blog post about micro-plastics within our marine environments. I thought I would provide a quick news recap for you all, following the much celebrated 2017 Budget. The Chancellor indeed did reveal plans for a 'plastic tax', though only after a period of consultation, to limit single-use plastic consumption. The 'plastic tax' was claimed by the Chancellor as providing a promise to future generations of building a sustainable economy. Nevertheless, critics including Labour Mary Creagh MP and chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, have suggested the tax fails to tackle current plastics within our oceans, along with trends of wider disposability within our society. It will be a few years until we know the success of the proposed tax, though following the success of the 5p plastic bag charge, we can only be optimistic! 

Figure 1: Chancellor Philip Hammond smiling about his new proposed plastic tax. Source: The Telegraph