Sort Our Rubbish Here, Not Abroad

I agree we shouldn’t be shipping our plastic waste to poorer countries. It’s a bit grim, isn't it, thinking our stuff is piling up somewhere else while we pat ourselves on the back for being 'green'. We need to deal with our own mess, but simply banning exports isn't the whole answer.

Instead of just stopping exports, we should be making it much more profitable for companies to recycle here. That means better tax incentives for businesses that invest in advanced recycling technologies that can actually handle mixed plastics, not just the easy stuff. We could also look at a small levy on virgin plastic production, with that money ring-fenced for developing local recycling capacity. It seems sensible to build up our own industry rather than just telling others they can’t have the work.

This approach means jobs right here in Bolton, and towns like it. We’ve got the people who can do this work if the investment is there.