Plastic cutlery, plates and cups to get banned in England under new government plans

The government is aiming to cut down on the amount of plastic waste being sent to landfill sites a year after banning single use plastic straws.
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Plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene cups are expected to be a thing of the past in England as the government ramps up its efforts to ban single-use products. Ministers are aiming to get rid of items that can not be recycled.

It follows a ruling banning plastic straws, cotton buds and drink stirrers, issued in July 2021. A stand is being made against the material because experts consider it is bad for the environment.

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The ban of further plastic utensils is expected to be unveiled in plans by environment secretary Therese Coffey. It aims to replace them with biodegradable alternatives in the coming weeks, according to reports.

DEFRA - The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - has held a public consultation on the plan from November 2021 to February of this year. Scottish and Welsh governments have already taken similar measures, but the move has reportedly been delayed in England due to chaos in Westminster.

The change will not only phase out plastic cutlery, plates and cups, but a range of other single-use products including balloon sticks and various food and beverage containers.

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.”

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