MP Alan Whitehead proposes a bill to see more recycled resources used in new products

Now, Labour MP Alan Whitehead has proposed a Renewable Content Obligation Bill that would require business selling certain products to use a proportion of recycled material in their manufacture.

Part of the aim of the bill would be to level the playing field, removing the cost penalties paid by producers who voluntarily include recyclates in their products by making it a requirement across the board.

There are already precedents – the Renewables Obligation currently requires electricity generators to produce a proportion of their power from renewable sources or pay a penalty, as does the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, which requires 5 per cent biofuel to be mixed with petrol and diesel.

This article first appeared in the Ecologist April 2009