England is going to ban the use of single-use plastic. With the measure, which comes into force in October, the British government wants to reduce the “disastrous” effect of plastic on the environment, Environment Minister Therese Coffey said. The ban includes plates, cutlery, straws, cotton swabs, glasses and some food containers.
Starting in October, stores, takeaways and street food stalls will no longer be able to offer their products in such disposable plastic. However, the ban will not apply to dishes and dishes used for packaging prepackaged food.
According to figures from the UK Department of the Environment, around 2.7 billion cutlery is thrown away in England every year, most of which is plastic. The British also use 721 million plastic plates a year. Only 10 percent of discarded plastic is recycled.
The environmental movement is not impressed by the announcement. “This is rumbling on the sidelines of a big problem,” said Nina Schrank of Greenpeace UK. Banning products one by one might make good headlines for the government, but it won’t stop the staggering amount of plastic the UK produces each year.
The Scottish and Welsh governments have already introduced similar bans. In England, policy is made by the national government.
In the Netherlands in 2024 ban
Disposable plastic will be banned in the Netherlands from January 2024. The same goes for cardboard plates and cups that have a thin layer of plastic to avoid the cardboard taste. Companies must offer reusable tableware. Collection locations, such as station kiosks, may continue to provide plastic cups and food packaging. However, consumers will have to pay more for this from July 2023.
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