UK Government to consult over plastic straw ban

THE UK Government has outlined plans to ban the sale of plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has launched a consultation on the proposal, with a ban potentially coming into force at some point between October 2019 and 2020 subject to views collected during the consultation process.

In England, some 4.7 billion plastic straws are estimated to be used annually, along with 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds. About 10% of cotton buds are thought to be flushed down the toilet.

The UK Government said it recognised there are instances where using plastic straws is necessary for medical reasons, and will seek views on how to ensure those who need them for medical and accessibility reasons can still use them.

Michael Gove said, “Our precious oceans and the wildlife within need urgent protection from the devastation throw-away plastic items can cause. In England we are taking world-leading action with our ban on microbeads, and thanks to the public’s support have taken over 15 billion plastic bags out of circulation with our 5p charge. I commend retailers, bars and restaurants that have already committed to removing plastic straws and stirrers. But we recognise we need to do more. Today we step-up our efforts to turn the tide on plastic pollution and ensure we leave our environment in a better state than we inherited it.”

Greenpeace UK’s political adviser Sam Chetan Welsh commented, “Our society’s addiction to throwaway plastic is fuelling a global environmental crisis that must be tackled. Ministers are doing the sensible thing by looking to ban single-use plastic items that can be easily replaced with better alternatives or that we can simply do without. But this should be just the start. If we are to protect our oceans from the scourge of plastic, the flow of waste needs to be cut off at the tap. And that means the companies producing and selling all this packaging must take responsibility for it and cut down the amount of plastic ending up in our shopping baskets.”