Single-use plastic items to be banned in England

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The UK government will ban single-use plastic products including cutlery, plates, and polystyrene cups in England after a consultation, according to reports.

The environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, is confident to unveil plans in order to phase out the items and replace them with biodegradable alternatives in the coming weeks, the Financial Times reported. It added that the Scottish and Welsh governments had already taken similar actions.

It follows a public consultation on a proposal to outlaw the sale of single-use plastic goods and polystyrene food and drink containers, which was conducted by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra). This lasted from November 2021 through February.

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In an effort to decrease plastic pollution, single-use plastic plates, cutlery, balloon sticks, and expanded and extruded polystyrene cups might be phased out.

The newspaper claimed at the end of the consultation that the ban was delayed by chaos in Westminster. It has now cited government insiders who reportedly claim that Coffey is preparing to approve the ban.

The UK government banned single-use plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds in England in 2020.

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A Defra spokesperson said, “We are determined to go further and faster to reduce, reuse, and recycle more of our resources in order to transform our waste industry and deliver on our commitments in the ambitious 25-year environment plan. Cutting our reliance on single-use plastics is crucial."

“Having already banned single-use straws, stirrers and cotton buds and ended the sale of billions of single-use bags with our plastic bag charge, we will be responding soon to a consultation on further bans of plastic plates, cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene cups.”