Sue Hayman MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the Government’s food waste collections and packaging labelling plans, said:

“Michael Gove is living up to his reputation as the Secretary of State for Consultations, big on speculative plans and kicking ideas into the long grass.

“You can’t aim to prevent fly tipping without ending cuts to the councils that deal with waste and recycling. And we need a plan for stopping the export of UK recycling and waste plastics to countries where they currently end up in a landfill or polluting our oceans.

“Rather than a vision for building our recycling infrastructure, it talks about voluntary action and distant target deadlines, while talking up the value of more incinerators.

“Labour is calling for a comprehensive and robust strategy to reduce waste, improve UK waste and recycling infrastructure and bring forward a plastic bottle return scheme to help tackle the scourge of plastic waste.”