The BRC welcomed elements put forward by the government designed to “improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution and restore habitats so plants and wildlife can thrive” with a new Environment Bill.

A new bill would introduce charges for single-use plastic items and extend producer responsibility to ensuring a “consistent approach to recycling and introduce deposit return schemes”.

A charge for single-use plastic items would “build on the success of the carrier bag charge and incentivise consumers to choose other, more sustainable ways of taking shopping home”, the government added in its briefing notes.