§ Lord KENNETasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to ensure that the availability of new technology for making plastic beverage bottles does not result in:
- (a) the use of materials which have not been proven non-toxic; and
1888 - (b) many tens of millions of such "bottles" littering towns and countryside.
§ The PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE, DEPARTMENT of the ENVIRONMENT (Baroness Stedman)It is already an offence under the Food and Drugs Act to sell food or beverages which have been made unfit or unacceptable for human consumption through contact with any packaging material. From 26th November 1979, new regulations* will prohibit the sale, import or use of articles, including plastic bottles, which are intended for use with food or beverages and which transfer their constituents in quantities which could endanger human health or make the food or beverage unacceptable.
Plastic beverage bottles are not expected to pose any greater litter problem than the metal or glass non-returnable containers which they would replace. Littering is already an offence for which the maximum fine is £100. Enforcement of the law is, however, only one element in litter abatement; the Government provide substantial support for the Keep Britain Tidy Group's national campaign of education and publicity.
*The Materials and Article in Contact with Food Regulations 1978, S.I. No. 1927 of 1978.