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The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced on Saturday that by the end of the year, businesses in England would be prohibited from selling or offering a variety of single-use plastics, including plates and cutlery.
The legislation will be enforced by the government beginning in October 2023. In addition to some plastics, the ban will apply to single-use trays, as well as certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.
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However, plates, trays, and bowls included with supermarket-ready meals will be exempt; the government intends to target those through a different plan that will incentivise manufacturers to meet higher recycling standards.
According to one estimate cited by the environment ministry, English consumers use approximately 2.7 billion pieces of single-use cutlery each year, with only about 10% recycled.
According to the department, 95 per cent of those polled prior to today’s announcement supported a ban. “We listened to the public, and these new single-use plastics bans will help us protect the environment for future generations,” said Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey.
Scotland and Wales, according to AFP, have previously passed similar legislation. It’s also worth noting that England already prohibits the sale of single-use items like straws and cotton swabs.
The environment ministry is also considering measures to target other “problematic plastic items.” The government could also outlaw wet wipes and tobacco filters, or require package labelling that instructs consumers on how to properly dispose of these items.
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The ban on disposable plates and cutlery is part of a larger global effort by governments to reduce the production and use of single-use plastics. The United Nations started working on the first-ever global plastic pollution treaty in March.
While the agreement won’t be finalized until at least 2024, it could be one of the most significant efforts to combat climate change since the 2015 Paris agreement.
The post England Is Banning The Sale Of Some Single-Use Plastics appeared first on SurgeZirc UK.
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