Single-use plastic plates and cutlery will be banned in England from October. This should lead to less waste, which is better for the environment. The Welsh and Scottish governments have already taken similar decisions. In the European Union, single-use plastic plates and cutlery have been banned since summer 2021.
The UK ban means that shops and takeaways are no longer allowed to sell plastic plates or cutlery. Plastic containers and some types of polystyrene containers and glasses can no longer be used.
According to the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Development, 2.7 billion disposable plastic cutlery and 721 million disposable plastic plates are used in the UK each year. About 10 percent of this is recycled. The rest disappears with the garbage or is thrown on the street or in the wild.
Excluding
Plastic packaging of food that ends up in the store is excluded from the rules. This leads to criticism from environmental groups such as Greenpeace, who refer to it as “rumble on the fringes”. “Banning products one by one might make some nice headlines for the government, but it won’t stop the incredible amount of plastic the UK produces every year.”
Previously, the use of plastic straws and bags was already restricted in the UK. This happened when the country was still part of the European Union.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
