Philip Hammond considering plastic tax as environmentalists call for 30p charge on 500ml bottles

Environmental charities have called for a 30p charge on plastic bottles after Philip Hammond announced the government is considering taxing single-use containers to cut litter.

The Chancellor said Britain should lead the world in ‘tackling the scourge of plastic’ in the oceans and promised to investigate how charges could reduce waste.

A four week consultation on bringing back deposit return schemes for bottles ended this week and the Department of Environment is due to report back shortly.

In evidence submitted to the consultation, conservation groups have called for 30p to be added to the cost of plastic bottles of 500ml or over, and 15p to those below, which would be returned when the item was recycled.

Disposable coffee cups would also see a 5p tax under their plans, which they claim would increase recycling levels to more than 90 per cent, and reduce overall litter levels in Britain by 32 per cent. A similar 5p charge added to plastic bags in 2015 has seen use fall by 85 per cent.

Sandy Luk, Chief Executive of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said: “We welcome the investigation announced by the Chancellor. The evidence is already there to show that our oceans are choking in plastic.

“We've seen how a small charge has made a big difference with plastic carrier bags, and applying this to all throwaway plastics would lead to a significant drop in damaging plastics getting into our streets, rivers and seas.’

Each year more than 300 million tons of plastic are produced globally, and 10 per cent will end up in the sea. It is estimated that there is now a 1:2 ratio of plastic to plankton and, left unchecked, plastic will outweigh fish by 2050.

But plastic is notoriously difficult to recycle - and only 12 per cent of household waste is reprocessed. The rest is either burnt, dumped or goes to landfill.

Environmental groups are also calling for incentives for manufacturers to move towards greener packaging and want the most harmful plastics, which are difficult to recycle, to be phased out.

Lyndsey Dodds, Head of Marine Policy at WWF-UK, said: ‘Plastic is suffocating our seas. Too often, birds, fish, turtles and whales are found dead with plastics in their stomachs.

“This problem will only get worse unless urgent action is taken. The announcement is a step forward, but must be ambitious in its scope and scale if the UK is to achieve its goal of leaving the environment in a better state than it inherited it.’

Announcing the investigation Mr Hammond said: "Audiences across the country, glued to Blue Planet II, have been starkly reminded of the problems of plastics pollution.

"The UK led the world on climate change agreements, and is a pioneer in protecting marine environments.

"Now I want us to become a world leader in tackling the scourge of plastic, littering our planet and our oceans."

Llewelyn Lowen, Scientific Officer at the RSPCA, added: “We warmly welcome this first step towards plugging our plastic pollution problem.

“Despite initial concerns, plastic bag charges have had little impact on our pockets but a big impact on the environment, and throwaway plastic charges would do the same.