Use Of Plastic Straws, Stirrers, Cotton Buds Banned In England From October 1

A complete ban on the use of plastic straws was to be imposed in England in April, but it was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.?

However, the ban has been brought into effect from today and now it will be illegal in England for businesses to use plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers and cotton buds.

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Talking about the delay in ban, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs?(Defra), said?at the time the delay was to ‘avoid additional burdens for firms at this challenging time’.

However from October 1, ‘it will be illegal for businesses to supply plastic straws, stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds to customers, with exemptions in place to protect disabled people and those with medical conditions who require plastic straws’, reports?Independent.?

The ban, according to the UK government, is another step in the fight against single-use plastic, to protect the environment, including oceans that are increasingly being filled with waste.

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George Eustice, the UK environmental secretary, reportedly said, "The ban on straws, stirrers and cotton buds is just the next step in our battle against plastic pollution and our pledge to protect our ocean and the environment for future generations. We are already a world-leader in this global effort. Our five-pence charge on single-use plastic bags has successfully cut sales by 95% in the main supermarkets, we have banned microbeads, and we are building plans for a deposit return scheme to drive up the recycling of single-use drinks containers."

An estimated 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds were used in England each year, according to officials.

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Tatiana Lujan, plastics lawyer at environmental law charity ClientEarth, said that banning these items was a ‘no brainer’, but she also added that “these items form only a tiny fraction of single-use plastics, which litter our environment and release toxic substances and greenhouse gas emissions when incinerated - and even when they're made.”

Other nations that have taken steps to reduce plastic use are Scotland (banned the sale of plastic cotton buds last year) and Wales (announced plans to ban single-use plastic items in March).?