Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
During the Senedd’s sixth term, we have put waste reduction and tackling plastic pollution at the heart of our policies. Since devolution, Wales has transformed from a nation which recycled less than 5% of its municipal waste to now being second in the World for household recycling. Our achievements demonstrate our determination.
The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 (the ‘SUPP Act’) has already restricted the sale of several commonly littered single-use plastic products, including straws, cutlery and cotton buds. From 18 December 2026, the SUPP Act will also restrict the supply of wet wipes containing plastic. We have also taken decisive action on single-use vapes, responding to the significant environmental harm they cause by working with other UK governments to ban their supply from June last year.
We have worked consistently and closely with the other UK nations in finding a harmonised way forward to tackle the environmental damage caused by plastic pollution. This approach has reflected our long-held preference to work collaboratively with the other UK governments, including through Common Frameworks where policy differences are respected.
The UK Government’s review of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (UKIMA) included commitments to make the Common Frameworks the key mechanism to agree policy cooperation and manage divergence, and for UKIMA to be relegated to the background. We are committed to working collaboratively via the Common Framework processes to agree the necessary UKIMA exclusion for this legislation. This means it is no longer viable to agree and enact an exclusion under UKIMA in time to implement the
remaining ‘Phase 2 bans’ this Senedd term. We have already begun work with the other UK governments in the Common Frameworks on a proposal for a UKIMA exclusion. We remain committed to seeing polystyrene lids for cups or takeaway food containers, plastic single-use carrier bags or products made of oxo-degradable plastic banned and are working to achieve that as soon as possible.
By phasing out unnecessary single‑use products, we are encouraging lasting behavioural change that supports the transition to a more circular economy. We are delivering our ambition to end the throwaway culture, creating a more sustainable Wales, one we are proud to hand on to future generations.