Action to reduce use of single-use plastics in Parliament

From coffee cups and straws to plastic bags and water bottles, these measures will virtually eliminate single-use avoidable plastics from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, replacing them with compostable alternatives or reusable options.

From Summer 2018, Parliament will stop purchasing non-recyclable disposable cups, instead opting for a compostable alternative. To encourage long-term behavioural change away from single-use items, a 25p charge will be added to hot drinks served in the new compostable cups. Reusable coffee cups will be available to buy and incentives offered to customers who refill them.

From Summer 2018, plastic bottles of mineral water will no longer be on sale in Parliament, immediately removing 125,000 plastic bottles from our waste annually. Instead, the availability of water dispensers will be increased.

From Summer 2018, refillable condiment containers will eradicate the need for plastic sachets.

Compostable alternatives will replace all disposable plastic items in catering venues, from cutlery and salad containers to food boxes and plastic tumblers. These new items will be captured in a new waste stream, ensuring they can be recycled effectively.

In 2019, plastic carrier bags will be phased out in retail outlets on the Estate. Instead, paper carrier bags will be available, alongside the fabric bags which are already available to buy. A green stationery catalogue will help office based staff to contribute to sustainability as they work.

Revised procurement procedures will be implemented to ensure that Parliament's suppliers consider the environmental impact of packaging.  Reusable packaging solutions will be trialled in our warehouses and for our deliveries, further reducing single-use avoidable plastics.

The decision to introduce these measures reflects the strong feeling among Members of Parliament and the public that action is needed to reduce our dependence on single-use plastics and represents a holistic approach to tackling the problem.

Sir Paul Beresford MP, Chair of the Commons Administration Committee, which recommended the proposals for the House of Commons, said:

“I am delighted to unveil the pioneering steps that we are taking to tackle single use avoidable plastics in Parliament. The measures we are introducing are ambitious and wide ranging, covering not just coffee cups but an array of items from plastic bottles and straws to condiment sachets and stationery. Our aim is to remove, as far as possible, disposable plastic items from the Parliamentary Estate. Our challenging targets reflect Parliament's commitment to leading the way in environmental sustainability. I am looking forward to tracking our progress over the next 12 months as these changes are implemented, and will be proudly drinking my coffee from a House of Commons reusable cup.”

The measures

The full list of measures to be implemented are as follows:

• Eliminate sales of water in plastic bottles.
• Introduce a 25p additional cost on hot drinks purchased in disposable cups (for a trial period).
• Sell reusable drinks cups to encourage behaviour change away from single-use disposables.
• Incentivise use of reusable cups through additional loyalty rewards in the House of Commons and continued discounts in the House of Lords.
• Introduce fixed condiment sauce dispensers in the House of Commons (the House of Lords has already discontinued individual condiment sachets).
• Substitute disposable catering items (including plastic-lined coffee cups) for compostable alternatives and introduce a compostable waste stream (including purchase of 800 additional bins).
• Replace plastic drinks tumblers with compostable cups across both Houses.
• Replace plastic carrier bags with paper ones in retail outlets.
• Implement a ‘green stationery' catalogue.
• Produce procedures for incorporating the environmental impact of packaging into the weighting of relevant procurement and tender exercises. 
• Pilot a re-usable packaging ‘totes' scheme for deliveries.

Further information

• Sustainability and environmental practices in Parliament
• The House of Commons responsible catering policy

Image: Parliamentary copyright.