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As part of the public consultation, England may ban disposable cutlery and plates and call for evidence to address other problematic plastics

As part of the public consultation, England may ban disposable cutlery and plates

Environment Minister George Eustice said today that England may ban the use of polluting plastics that can harm our landscapes and wildlife.

Disposable plastic plates, cutlery, foamed and extruded polystyrene cups, and food and beverage containers may all be eliminated. This is the latest government effort to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.

It is estimated that 1.1 billion disposable plates and 4.25 billion disposable tableware are used in the UK every year—most of which are plastic—but only 10% are recycled at disposal. According to the 12-week public consultation proposal, companies and consumers need to switch to more sustainable alternatives.

The government has further initiated a separate evidence collection campaign to address other sources of plastic pollution. This will solicit stakeholders’ views on the disposal of common waste plastics such as wet wipes, tobacco filters, pouches and other disposable cups.

Policy measures that can be explored in the future include banning the use of plastic in these items and mandatory labeling on packaging to help consumers properly handle these items.

The government will also study how we put the responsibility firmly at the door of manufacturers to ensure that they do their best to dispose of single-use plastics, including cigarette butts.

The UK uses 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups every year, and plastic bags are often not recycled due to their small size, which makes them difficult to separate and clean. The government will consider how to achieve the transition to sustainable alternatives without unfairly affecting consumers.

Many companies are already taking action to reduce this avoidable waste, many stores have stocked alternatives to traditional plastic wipes, and today’s actions will encourage more people to do so.

Environment Minister George Eustis said:

People are increasingly aware of the damage that plastics cause to our environment, especially marine life. We hope to reduce the use of plastic in packaging and prohibit the use of it in items related to littering.

We have already banned the use of plastic straws, blenders and cotton swabs, and now plan to extend the ban to tableware and balloon sticks that can use alternative materials (such as wood).

The consultation took place a week after the passage of the environmental law, which will make England take stricter action on single-use plastics. The bill includes the power to charge for single-use items, and the collection of evidence will explore whether such fees can be charged for disposable cups or pouches in order to encourage the escape of a disposable culture.

The UK is a global leader in combating plastic waste and has taken major measures to solve the problem of plastic pollution, banning the use of microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, and restricting the supply of disposable plastic straws, blenders and cotton swabs.

Since 2015, charging 5 pence for disposable handbags has been a great success. Since 2015, consumption in major supermarkets has been reduced by 95%. We have increased the minimum charge to 10 pence and expanded it to all Retailers, ensure that we can purchase billions of bags in circulation.

The industry is addressing the plastic waste problem through the British Plastics Convention, which is a collaboration between companies in the entire plastic value chain, supported by the government and coordinated by the Waste and Resources Action Plan (WRAP).

David Scott, Morrisons Director of Corporate Affairs, said:

Reducing plastic packaging is one of the most concerned issues of our customers. We hope to help customers reduce their reliance on plastics. We have banned many single-use plastics in our stores-including plastic plates, cutlery and straws, and we have developed a soft plastic recycling system.

Just this week, we announced that we will build a soft plastic recycling station in the UK. Therefore, we welcome Defra's consultation and look forward to cooperating with the entire industry on this.

WRAP CEO Marcus Gover said:

We welcome consultations on expanding the scope of single-use plastic products banned in the UK. If we are to reverse the trend of plastic pollution and keep plastics away from the environment, it is essential to eliminate problematic and unnecessary disposable plastics.

The British Plastics Convention has set an ambitious goal to take action in this important area. Its members have eliminated problematic plastics by more than 40%. We now need to comply with regulations and ensure that all companies take steps to eliminate problematic and unnecessary plastics.

Steve Hynd, City to Sea Policy Manager, said:

Today it is announced that some of the most polluting single-use plastics are banned, which is very welcome. Earlier this year, nearly 100,000 people signed our petition calling on the government to take urgent action. We are happy to see that the public’s concerns are taken seriously.

There is still a long way to go to solve plastic pollution, but this is a positive and important first step.

Although actions have been taken against plastics so far, it is still widespread, and its improper disposal can cause environmental damage. Plastic products used for a few minutes can last for hundreds of years in the environment and endanger wildlife and habitats. When decomposed into microplastics, it will reach our soil, waterways, oceans and the food chain within them. Worldwide, more than 1 million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die every year due to eating or being entangled in plastic waste.

Through the "Environmental Law", the government is taking a wide range of further measures to address plastic pollution and garbage problems, including:

We will also impose a world-leading plastic packaging tax of 200 pounds per ton on plastic packaging that does not meet the minimum threshold of at least 30% recycling content from April 2022. This will encourage more use of recycled plastics, thereby increasing the level of recycling and plastic waste collection, helping to solve the problem of plastic waste and protecting our environment.

Plastic pollution is a global problem, and we are committed to cooperating with international partners to solve this problem. This is why the United Kingdom is co-sponsoring an ambitious resolution proposed by Peru and Rwanda to begin negotiations on a new legally binding global agreement to tackle plastic pollution, just like the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and Montreal What the protocol should do for ozone depletion.

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