You might have noticed many businesses cutting back on single-use plastic items over the last few years, but this has now been rolled out as law across food outlets. Items such as single-use plastic plates, trays and cutlery will no longer be permitted for use across England as a ban has now come into place.
Following similar policies set out in Scotland and Wales, the legislation came into effect on October 1 in a bid to reduce plastic pollution. The single-use plastic ban hopes to quell the estimated 1.1 billion plastic plates and 4.25 billion pieces of cutlery that go to waste each year. Of that waste, only 10% is thought to be recycled. Plastic waste that cannot be recycled often doesn’t decompose and simply lies in landfill for years.
Said Thérèse Coffey, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
“A plastic fork can take 200 years to decompose, that is two centuries in landfill or polluting our oceans. I am determined to drive forward action to tackle this issue head on. We’ve already taken major steps in recent years – but we know there is more to do, and we have again listened to the public’s calls.
“This new ban will have a huge impact to stop the pollution of billions of pieces of plastic and help to protect the natural environment for future generations.”
The specifics of the single-use plastic ban
As of October 1, no business – whether retailer, takeaway, food vendor or part of the hospitality industry – is able to sell single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks, or polystyrene cups and food containers in England. The supply of single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls has also been restricted.
The ban does not apply to single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls used as packaging in shelf-ready pre-packaged food items.
Said Environment Minister Rebecca Pow:
“This new ban is the next big step in our mission to crack down on harmful plastic waste. It will protect the environment and help to cut litter – stopping plastic pollution dirtying our streets and threatening our wildlife.
“This builds on world-leading bans on straws, stirrers and cotton buds, our single-use carrier bag charge and our plastic packaging tax, helping us on our journey to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.”
The single-use plastics ban is part of the Government’s wider action to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution and eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. The Government has already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products in 2018 and restricted the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds in 2020.