30 October 2023 , 09:55
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Members of the public will struggle to find eight commonly used items in shops from today, as Wales cracks down on single-use plastic products.
Stores across the country can no longer sell products including plastic food containers, certain cotton buds and plastic cutlery as part of a new law that has come into effect this week. It comes after fast-food bosses were stopped from serving items on single-use plastic materials including bowls across England on October 1. The rule, which will largely affect takeaway owners, has been backed by a large amount of the public as 87 per cent of people are said to be in support of the move.
Single use plastic items like coffee stirrers can no longer be sold in Wales (Getty Images)These eight items are now prohibited from being sold in Wales
- Single-use plastic plates
- Single-use plastic cutlery
- Single-use plastic drinks stirrers
- Cups made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene
- Takeaway food containers made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene
- Single-use plastic balloon sticks
- Single-use plastic-stemmed cotton buds
- Single-use plastic drinking straws (with exemptions for those who need them to eat and drink safely and independently)
Minister for climate change Julie James said: "This is the first step in phasing out the need for unnecessary single-use plastic being used and sold in Wales. We're committed to eradicating single-use plastic and our next phase will see the banning of plastic single-use carrier bags, polystyrene lids for cups and food containers and products made of oxo-degradable plastic, which will come into force before the end of the Senedd term.
"Many businesses across Wales have already adopted the change prior to the ban by switching to reusable products or swapping out their plastic for cardboard or paper alternatives where reusables aren't suitable. We're also looking at plastic based wet wipes which can block drains, contribute to flooding and add microplastic fibres to our environment. If we all take a 'Team Wales' approach and look to reuse, recycle and repair more, it'll help create a greener future for generations to come."
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Delyth Jewell MS, Plaid Cymru spokeswoman on climate change said: "We want future generations to inherit a cleaner earth, so it's vital that we turn the tide on our reliance on plastics that are choking our earth and even getting into our bloodstreams. While these new restrictions on single use plastics are welcome, and urgently needed, we need to go even further and faster to rid ourselves of the plastic plague that pollutes are countryside, our seas and beaches."
One business owner said the more environmentally-friendly packaging was more expensive. Sam Raslan, manager of Fellas kebab shop on Cardiff's Caroline Street, told the BBC: "We're starting to swap to equipment that's healthier (for the environment) but it costs us more than three times more than before."
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