Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Lesley Griffiths has outlined the steps Wales will take in its move to becoming a circular economy nation, revealing the Welsh Government will next year publish a Plastic Route Map.
In a statement to Plenary, the Cabinet Secretary Lesley Griffiths announced the creation of a Plastic Route Map to be published by WRAP by Spring 2018.
This will plan Wales’ approach to creating a better market for recycled plastic products, made in Wales and aims to reduce the country’s “reliance” on overseas markets for waste plastic.
Lesley Griffiths – “The £6.5m fund I announced earlier this year will develop a significant number of small-scale capital projects to assist SMEs in making the transformation towards a circular economy approach”
Studies have found the adoption of a circular economy could save the Welsh economy up to £2bn and has the potential to create up to 30,000 jobs, the Welsh Government says.
Lesley Griffiths said: “Wales is fully signed up to the benefits of the circular economy. The £6.5m fund I announced earlier this year will develop a significant number of small-scale capital projects to assist SMEs in making the transformation towards a circular economy approach. We need to see more circular economy business models developed in Wales.”
The focus on plastics follows a package of measures the Welsh Government is considering to reduce waste and tackle created by plastic pollution.
This includes examining the potential of an Extended Producer responsibility scheme, where producers are responsible for the waste they produce and a possible tax on disposable plastic
Earlier this year the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs announced a £6.5m fund for 2019-20 to help Wales move towards a circular economy.
