Picture of a man collecting plastic garbage: (AFP)

The Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is launching another method to address other sources of plastic pollution

In order to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste, the British government plans to ban the use of disposable plastic plates and cutlery and polystyrene cups. 

The Secretary of State for the Environment, George Eustice, said: "Plastics have destroyed our environment and destroyed wild animals. This government has waged a war on unnecessary and wasted plastics-banning the supply of plastic straws and agitators. And cotton swabs, and our tote bag charges have reduced consumption by 95. Major supermarkets pay a penny." 

He further added that it’s time to abandon the disposable culture. As he said, “Through our world’s leading environmental law, we will reduce waste and make better use of our resources, helping us rebuild green and keep the environment in a better place. There are more states than we have discovered. These new plans represent the next important step in eradicating the use of problematic plastics that pollute the natural world."

The Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is introducing another method to address other sources of plastic pollution.

Under this new method, stakeholders will be required to express their views on the disposal of common waste plastics, including wet wipes, tobacco filters, pouches and other disposable cups. 

Also read | "The number is staggering": France bans plastic packaging of 30 types of fruits and vegetables

The British government will also study a way to hold manufacturers accountable and ensure that they do their best to deal with the issue of single-use plastics. This also includes rubbish from cigarette butts.

"Many companies are already taking action to reduce this avoidable waste. Many stores have stocked alternatives to traditional plastic wipes. Today's move will encourage more people to do so," DEFRA said. Official data show that 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups are used in the UK every year. 

Also read | Spain will ban the sale of plastic-packaged fruits and vegetables from 2023: report

At the same time, France decided to ban plastic packaging of almost all fruits and vegetables from January 2022 to reduce plastic waste, followed by Spain, whose goal is to ban the sale of plastic-packaged fruits and vegetables from 2023.

To implement a law in February 2020, the government issued a list of approximately 30 types of fruits and vegetables that must be sold without plastic packaging from January 1.

© 1998-2019 Zee Media Corporation Ltd (An Essel Group Company), all rights reserved.