England Imposes Ban on Single-Use Plastic

Effective this week, England is imposing a ban on single-use plastics such as plates, utensils, and specific types of polystyrene cups and containers.

Restaurants, stores, and others will be prohibited from distributing single-use plastic items to customers. This ban follows a similar ban that was imposed in Scotland last year. Later this month, Wales will impose a single-use plastics ban as well.

The primary objective of the ban, declared by the UK Government in Westminster, is to diminish plastic pollution.

Approximately 2.7 billion items comprised of mostly plastic utensils and 721 million single-use plates are used in England annually. However, it’s estimated that only 10% of those items are recycled.

“We all know the absolutely devastating impacts that plastic can have on our environment and wildlife,” said Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey, who introduced the ban. “I am proud of our efforts in this area; we have banned micro-beads, restricted the use of straws, stirrers, and cotton buds, and our carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by over 97% in the main supermarkets.”

Any establishment found violating the ban could be subjected to fines and could be on the hook for the expenses associated with an investigation.

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