Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane, welcomes the Environment Act which has received Royal Assent

It has been an incredibly exciting year for the environment. Just a few weeks ago, the world-leading Environment Act received Royal Assent – a turning point and an example for the rest of the world to follow.

Through the Act, we will clean up the country’s air, restore natural habitats, increase biodiversity, reduce waste and make better use of our resources. Crucially, it will halt the decline in species by 2030, helping to reverse declines of iconic British species like the hedgehog, red squirrel and water vole. It will also require new developments to improve or create habitats for nature and tackle illegal deforestation overseas.

It will enable us to transition to a more circular economy, incentivising people to recycle more, encouraging businesses to create sustainable packaging, make household recycling easier and we will have the tools to stop the export of polluting plastic waste to developing countries. These changes will be driven by new legally binding environmental targets, and enforced by a new, independent Office for Environmental Protection which will hold government and public bodies to account on their environmental obligations.

We have hit the ground running and a huge amount of work has been under way to put the measures in the Act into practice. We have already banned the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, increased the plastic bag charge to 10p and extended it to all retailers, and launched a consultation on banning single use plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene cups. We have also launched a call for evidence on other problematic single use plastics – including wet wipes, which is something I am particularly passionate about. The bulk of these contain tiny plastic particles which end up in the marine environment when wet wipes are flushed away and this needs to change.

In addition, we have just launched a consultation on the implementation of our due diligence requirements relating to the supply of key commodities including palm oil and soya which will help tackle illegal deforestation across the globe. And we will soon respond to consultations on consistent recycling collections, the deposit return scheme for drinks containers and extended producer responsibility for packaging - which puts the onus on the manufacturer placing it on the market). All these measures will transform the way we deal with our rubbish. We have also published a draft Principles Policy Statement which will put protecting the environment at the heart of future policy.

I am particularly pleased that the Act will crack down on water companies which discharge sewage into rivers, waterways and coastlines. We are the first government to set out, via Government’s Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat, the water regulator, our expectation that water companies must act to reduce the harm caused by storm sewage overflows. This has also been put onto a legislative footing and, believe me, where they don’t act we will be taking action against them.

Our Environment Act gives us the tools and the momentum we need to really put nature on the road to recovery during this decade, enabling us to have more, better, bigger and connected areas of natural habitats. This will bring a range of practical benefits and crucially will bring more into contact with the wonders of the natural world, while improving wider environmental quality at the same time.

The Act became law during the UK’s hosting of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, during which the UK brought the world together to secure ambitious commitments to tackle climate change. It is a huge moment for the UK, and I am looking forward to getting on with the job and delivering for our environment.

The Environment Act will deliver:

Long-term targets to improve air quality, biodiversity, water, and waste reduction and resource efficiency

A target on ambient PM2.5 concentrations, the most harmful pollutant to human health

A target to halt the decline of nature by 2030

Environmental Improvement Plans, including interim targets

A cycle of environmental monitoring and reporting

Environmental Principles embedded in domestic policy making

Office for Environmental Protection to uphold environmental law

WASTE & RECYCLING

Extend producer responsibility to make producers pay for 100% of cost of disposal of products, starting with plastic packaging

A deposit Return Scheme for single use drinks containers

Charges for single use plastics

Greater consistency in recycling collections in England

Electronic waste tracking to monitor waste movements and tackle fly-tipping

Tackle waste crime

Power to introduce new resource efficiency information (labelling on the recyclability and durability of products)

Regulate shipment of hazardous waste

Ban or restrict export of waste to non-OECD countries

CLEAN AIR

Require Local Authorities to tackle air quality

Simplify enforcement within smoke control areas

NATURE

Strengthened biodiversity duty

Biodiversity net gain to ensure developments deliver at least 10% increase in biodiversity

Local Nature Recovery Strategies to support a Nature Recovery Network

Duty upon Local Authorities to consult on street tree felling

Strengthen woodland protection enforcement measures

Conservation Covenants

Protected Site Strategies and Species Conservation Strategies to support the design and delivery of strategic approaches to deliver better outcomes for nature

Prohibit larger UK businesses from using commodities associated with wide-scale deforestation

Requires regulated businesses to establish a system of due diligence for each regulated commodity used in their supply chain, requires regulated businesses to report on their due diligence, introduces a due diligence enforcement system

WATER

Effective collaboration between water companies through statutory water management plans

Drainage and sewerage management planning a statutory duty

Minimise damage water abstraction may cause on environment

Modernise the process for modifying water and sewerage company licence conditions