Veolia UK Calls on Government to Raise Plastic Tax to Help Recycling Market

Veolia’s UK subsidiary is asking British Policymakers to increase the country's plastic packaging tax in order to shore up the recycled plastics market.

The tax first went into effect in April of 2022 and is currently £217.85 per tonne on plastic packaging with a recycled content of less than 30%. Veolia UK is suggesting this amount to be raised to £500 per ton for producers who do not incorporate 50% recycled amount in their packaging. This increase, according to Veolia UK, will help provide a sufficient incentive for the use of recycled products.

In a recent paper from Veolia, the company says that the government could make it so that the less sustainable choice is the more expensive option, by increasing the tax and recycled content threshold.

Veolia UK recommends this move be a phased process over the next few years with short-term goals – by the end of the year – seeing the recycled content requirement for tax exemption raised to 35% and the tax increased to £275 per tonne.

Read the full article here.