England Is Banning Single-Use Plastic Cutlery and Plates
A public consultation revealed 96% approval for the decision.
England is set to ban single-use plastic cutlery and dishes. The announcement, which will be officially made on January 14 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), follows a three-month consultation that gathered public opinions on items such as plastic plates, cutlery, balloon sticks, and extruded polystyrene.1
The idea of a ban was "backed by overwhelming public support," according to the Daily Mail, and Greenpeace UK reports that 96% of the 51,000 consultation participants said they'd support a ban on all of the items under consideration.23
It's estimated that the average person in England uses 18 disposable plastic plates and 37 pieces of disposable plastic cutlery every year, with a mere 10% of that getting recycled.4 This works out to 1.1 billion plates and 4.3 billion pieces of cutlery being used annually, most of which get tossed in landfill after their fleeting usefulness. Litter relating to takeout food and drink packaging dominate plastic waste in the ocean, according to a 2021 study.5 So it seems logical to want to tackle this issue.
The ban will apply to restaurants, cafes, and takeout foods, but not stores or supermarkets, where such single-use plastic is considered to be "primary packaging" and will be addressed by other means.
Richard Swannell, interim CEO of WRAP, an NGO working to reduce waste, said his organization is in full support of this announcement.
"[It] marks important progress in the wholesale removal of problematic and unnecessary plastics that can end up as plastic pollution. WRAP is working with UK businesses to meet ambitious targets in this important area, and our latest results show an 84% reduction in problematic and unnecessary single use plastics by our UK Plastics Pact members since 2018. We're delighted to see these efforts being backed up by regulation, which will accelerate efforts to keep plastic out of the environment."
This ban follows another that was implemented in England in October 2020, banning plastic straws, stir-sticks, and cotton swabs with plastic stems. Scotland's single-use plastics ban came into effect in August 2022 and similar laws were approved in Wales this past December.
by Katherine Martinko Published in Treehugger Newsletter on Jan. 13, 2023
Hello,
ReplyDeleteIt is good that these items are being banned. Happy Sunday, have a great new week!
Good news.
ReplyDeleteOur province has banned plastic straws and more or less single-use plastic bags.
ReplyDelete...I remember the "Graduate" when Hoffman was told the plastic was the future.
ReplyDeleteOur state, NJ, banned plastic shopping bags at the supermarkets and other stores, very successfully. I grew up in the UK and remember you brought your own cutlery to school parties and picnics, and a plate with labeled underneath with your name. No disposables then. So it can be done. Icecream in cardboard cups with wooden spoon things.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile DEFRA is doing nothing about the release of raw sewage into rivers and the oceans, an equally dangerous thing to the people and the environment. Because brexit pushed the cost of sewage treatment materials so high that local authorities are bypassing it.