An industry body has urged the next government to invest funds raised by the Plastic Packaging Tax in infrastructure to recycle the material.
The British Plastics Federation made the plea in its manifesto ahead of the forthcoming general election, which is expected to be held later this year.
The body said there was a shortfall of recycling capacity in the UK and money collected from the tax should be ringfenced to address this.
It also called for plastics producers to be recognised alongside their counterparts in glass, paper and metals as ‘foundation industries’.
“The current negative tone from government towards plastics is contributing to long-term vacancies that are damaging the growth of this key UK manufacturing sector,” said the manifesto.
Packaging reform should be sped up, the BPF said, with key policies such as extended producer responsibility and a deposit return scheme introduced promptly.
Director-general Philip Law said: “We desperately need to develop the UK’s recycling infrastructure, and for proposed reforms to packaging legislation to come to fruition quickly.
“Like all major industries with complex stakeholder networks in a rapidly changing world, we require government cooperation to effectively address issues such as the management and recycling of used plastic, and accessing the best talent, technology and new markets.”
