Government denies tax on disposable nappies will be brought in
Aneira Davies
ContributorThe Prime Minister has denied claims that the price of single-use nappies will increase to tackle the landfill crisis.
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The government has denied that a tax on disposable nappies is to be brought in, in a bid to tackle the climate crisis.
It was rumoured that the levy was to be introduced to stop nappies ending up in landfill, but the Prime Minister has now spoken out and assured parents that this will not be the case.
Currently, nappies cannot be recycled, as they're made of plastic, and a staggering three billion disposable ones are thrown away by UK households each year.
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According to recycling charity Wrap, this equates to around 2 to 3% of UK household waste per year.
After an announcement last week that action was to be taken on disposable plates, cups and cutlery, a source for the government reportedly told the Daily Mail: ‘The next single-use plastic item we are looking at is nappies.
'But you couldn't ban them – that would be too tough for parents. It would need to take some form of a tax.'
However, now Boris Johnson has spoken out against these claims, denying that the price of disposable nappies would increase to encourage parents to switch to eco-friendly alternatives.
A spokesperson said: ‘We will not be putting a tax on nappies. That story is untrue.
‘We have a strong track record on tackling pollution and we believe the best way to do that is to ensure that we have policies that are proportionate and encourage people to make change.
‘And we will continue to introduce policies that we believe strike that correct balance.’
It’s not the first time that single-use nappies have been on the government’s agenda.
In 2018, then environment secretary Michael Gove hinted that they could be banned in the future.
Parents were aghast at the claims and Gove later clarified his comments to suggest that disposable nappies wouldn’t be banned but could instead be part of plans to ‘tackle waste better’.
Using biodegradable nappies that won't sit in landfill for decades is a huge step towards being more environmentally friendly. We like these by Beaming Baby – see more details here at Amazon.
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