Liberal Democrats plan Zero Waste Britain Bill

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A Zero Waste Britain Bill will be part of five new environmental laws to be proposed in the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

Ahead of the general election next May, the Liberal Democrats have started setting out policies that will be included in its manifesto.

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The Zero Waste Britain Bill would establish a ‘Stern Report’ on resource use similar to the one on climate change commissioned by the previous Labour Government. This law would have binding targets and a clear action plan to reduce waste and end biodegradable landfill.

Other laws proposed by the Liberal Democrats include a Nature Bill, a Heating and Efficiency Bill, a Zero Carbon Bill and a Green Transport Bill.

Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: “The environment has always been a top priority for the Liberal Democrats and while we have achieved a huge amount on our green agenda in the Coalition, it’s hardly a secret that this has been one of the biggest areas of tension.

“Liberal Democrats see our duty to protect our environment for future generations as a central political and moral challenge. This is not something we can, or should, try and sidestep. In this Parliament, we’ve made a big step forward particularly on green energy, but other areas have not seen much progress. So we want to use the next Parliament to make a major leap forward on the environmental agenda across the board.

“Our five green laws will focus on a range of environmental issues that people really care about – air quality for health, access to green space and tree planting. And we want to make it as easy as possible to go green and by introducing higher new standards. Industries from construction through to waste, heating and transport will have to help us become more sustainable – as many leading, innovating firms are already doing.”