Ban on single-use plastics in England

A range of polluting single-use plastics will be banned in England, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has announced.

The ban will include single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers. This ban will be introduced from October 2023, allowing businesses time to prepare.

According to estimates, England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery — most of which are plastic — and 721 million single-use plates per year, but only 10% are recycled. If 2.7 billion pieces of cutlery were lined up they would go round the world over eight and a half times (based on a 15cm piece of cutlery).

From October, people won’t be able to buy these products from any business - this includes retailers, takeaways, food vendors and the hospitality industry. The government’s announcement reveals that over 95% of those who responded to the consultation were in favour of the bans.

See: Far-reaching ban on single-use plastics in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)