#Wholesome2023: England Bans Single-Use Plastic

England has implemented a ban on certain single-use plastic items, prohibiting businesses from supplying items such as polystyrene cups and plastic cutlery.

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What happened?

The UK government has already implemented leading bans and taxes on various forms of plastic, with the goal of eliminating all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. Scotland introduced a similar policy last year, and Wales is set to implement a ban this month.

So, what is included in the ban? Businesses like shops, restaurants and takeaways haven't been able to supply, sell or offer certain single-use plastic items to customers. They could face fines and criminal charges if they don't comply with the new rules. The ban includes cutlery, polystyrene cups, food containers, and balloon sticks. It covers all types of single-use plastic, including biodegradable, compostable and recycled.

Businesses won't be able to supply these items even if they have stock left over from before the ban. There are also restrictions on single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls, but takeaways will still be able to use containers, trays and wraps if they are pre-filled or filled at the point of sale. Shelf-ready pre-packaged food items are also excluded from the rules.

In addition to the ban on single-use plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds introduced in 2022, England has now implemented a ban on certain single-use plastic items, including polystyrene cups and plastic cutlery. Retailers are still allowed to provide polystyrene lids for coffee cups as long as the cups are not made from the material.

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Where and when?

The ban was implemented across the UK on October 1, 2023.

Why?

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow stated that this ban is a significant step in the government's mission to address harmful waste and protect the environment.

England generates an estimated 2.7 billion pieces of mostly plastic single-use cutlery and 721 million single-use plates annually. The government aims to ban all plastic packaging eventually, but a specific date for this broader ban has not been set yet. Only 10% of these items are estimated to be recycled, with the rest taking hundreds of years to degrade in landfills.

How does England's single-use plastic ban compare to the EU?

City to Sea, one of the charities advocating for the ban on single-use plastic items, notes that the measures in England come two years after similar rules were implemented across the EU and four years after agreement by all European institutions.

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Some EU member states, such as France, have gone beyond the EU rules, banning single-use plastic packaging for more than 30 types of fruit and vegetables, as well as throwaway packaging for eat-in restaurants. While England has focused on certain items, Scotland has implemented bans more quickly, and Wales has included a broader range of items in its ban.

City to Sea emphasizes that while single-use cutlery is a significant litter problem in England, other plastics, like small bottles, constitute almost a quarter of all litter.

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