A range of polluting single-use plastics will be banned in England, the Environment Secretary from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Thérèse Coffey said today (Saturday, January 14).
The ban will include single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.
Coffey said the ban will be introduced in October 2023, with the aim of giving businesses adequate time to prepare for the switch.
According to Defra, England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery – most of which are plastic – and 721 million single-use plates, per year. However, only 10% of these are recycled.
From October, people won’t be able to buy these products from any business – this includes retailers, takeaways, food vendors and the hospitality industry.
Over 95% of those who responded to Defra’s consultation were in favour of the bans, the government’s response (LINK), published today revealed.
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.
“We will also be pressing ahead with our ambitious plans for a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and consistent recycling collections in England.”
