A government minister has given her support to major businesses committed to cutting back on plastic pollution in the coming years.

Conservative MP for St Albans, Anne Main welcomed news on April 26 that 40 UK firms had pledged to draw down on their use of unnecessary plastic packaging, and to make all packaging recyclable by 2025.

The pledge announcement follows growing pressure from government on supermarkets to reduce plastic waste. 

Environment secretary, Michael Gove, has said he wants the UK to be “global leaders” in combatting plastic waste.

Signatories to the pledge include Marks and Spencer and Coca-Cola, and other major companies like Asda and Sainsbury’s account for more than 80% of plastic packaging sold by UK supermarkets. 

Mrs Main, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Prevention of Plastic Waste, said: “The announcement is wonderful news. 

“There is real public momentum behind this issue now and we should hope to see major changes.

Mrs Main said she was “pleased” to see the impact the campaign has had on schools, adding: “I met with Sandringham School in St Albans and they were able to tell me about their focus on educating pupils to reduce waste plastics and how the school have established a recycling target that they are aiming to hit.”

She said she hoped the results of the historic plastic bag tax would prompt similar results on single-use plastics, adding that the issue requires “consumer, retailer and government engagement”.

Asda will appear before the All-Party Parliamentary Group in the coming weeks.