Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a (a) ban and (b) tax on artificial grass for domestic use.
Answered on
11 September 2023
Defra has no plans to make an assessment of the merits of banning or taxing the use of artificial grass. While there are no plans to make such an assessment, we are clear its use should wherever possible follow published advice and guidance, including advice in the Green Infrastructure Framework launched by Natural England in February. Included in this framework is a planning and design guide that references guidance on permeable surfaces in front gardens and advice from the RHS on the greening of front gardens, driveways and parking areas. The framework sets out how the installation of artificial grass can have negative impacts on biodiversity and drainage for flood prevention if installed in place of natural earth or more positive measures.
We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic plastic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary plastic products. Our 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. Given the scale of the plastics problem, we need to take a targeted and evidence-led approach to tackling the issues of plastic waste.
More widely, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities consulted in December 2022 on updating the National Planning Policy Framework to recognise the threat to wildlife created by developers using artificial grass when building new homes. The response to this consultation will be published in the Autumn.