14 January 2023 , 00:01
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Plastic cutlery and polystyrene cups will be banned in England from October, ministers have announced.
The crackdown on single-use plastics will also cover plates, takeaway containers and balloon sticks.
The ban will however not apply to plates, trays, and bowls that are used in shelf-ready pre-packaged food items.
It is estimated 2.7billion items of single-use cutlery are used in England every year, but only 10% are recycled.
If all of these pieces were lined up they would go around the world over eight and a half times, based on a 15cm piece of cutlery.
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Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and has serious damage on our oceans, rivers and land.
An estimated 2.7billion items of single-use cutlery are used in England every year (Jack Taylor)Similar bans have already been introduced in Scotland and Wales.
Single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds were banned in England in 2020.
Cotton bud sticks moved out of the UK’s top ten most common beach litter items after the ban, according to the Great British Beach Clean 2021.
Under the new legislation, the single-use plastics ban will be enforced through civil sanctions.
However failure to comply, or repeated breaches, may result in authorities prosecuting for a criminal offence subject to a fine.
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: “We all know the absolutely devastating impacts that plastic can have on our environment and wildlife. We have listened to the public and these new single-use plastics bans will continue our vital work to protect the environment for future generations.
“I am proud of our efforts in this area: we have banned microbeads, restricted the use of straws, stirrers and cotton buds and our carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by over 97% in the main supermarkets."
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “Plastic is a scourge which blights our streets and beautiful countryside and I am determined that we shift away from a single-use culture.
“By introducing a ban later this year we are doubling down on our commitment to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.”
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The Government is also considering further measures to address other commonly littered plastic items, including wet wipes, tobacco filters and sachets.
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