Do you want to know what action to take to address the current high levels of consumption of single-use items? Do you want to instigate a culture of reuse, preventing waste?
Applying appropriate taxes or charges to specific items can lead to dramatic changes in behaviour, preventing waste and litter, while also raising revenue. Where applied – and to date single-use carrier bags have been the main focus – such interventions have proven to be popular with the public.
A similar approach could be applied to other single-use items including:
- Disposable cups and lids;
- Takeaway containers;
- Condiment sachets; and,
- Single-use cutlery.
More broadly, a charge could be used specifically to cover the clean-up costs associated with specific problematic items, including cigarette butts and chewing gum (which are frequently littered and cost local authorities a considerable amount of money). The same logic could be applied to wet-wipes, both to encourage the uptake of reusable alternatives and to cover the costs of dealing with sewer blockages caused when they are inappropriately flushed.
We have in-depth experience of how taxes and charges could be applied across many different types of item, and are well versed in the likely impacts and the associated arguments.
Contact one of our team if you would like to better understand how we can support you to identify the best approach to dealing with the issue that you face.
