The measure will come into force in October and aims to “reduce pollution in the seas, rivers and on land”.
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The sale of singleuse plastic plates, cutlery and other utensils will be banned United Kingdom from October to reduce pollution of the seas, rivers and land, the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced this Saturday (location date). Authorities gave companies 10 months to adapt to the new regulation, which will also affect utensils such as plastic bowls and dishes, and some types of Styrofoam cups and food containers. Every year, 2.7 billion singleuse tableware, mainly made of plastic, and 721 million plates are used England, of which the government says only 10% is recycled. From October, retailers, restaurants, bars, home delivery and all other businesses will have to adapt to the ban. The UK government said in a statement that plastic waste takes hundreds of years to decompose and is causing serious damage to ecosystems. Its production is also one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. greenhouse effect. “We all know what an absolutely devastating impact plastic can have on the environment and wildlife. We have listened to the public and this new ban on singleuse plastics will be a continuation of our important work to protect the environment for future generations,” said Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey.
The executive said that 95% of respondents who took part in a consultation on the measure were in favor of the veto. The environmental organization Greenpeace again called for a more ambitious strategy. “Baning items individually makes good headlines for government, but it will not eliminate the staggering amount of plastic the UK produces each year,” said Nina Wardrobe, Greenpeace UK’s plastic campaign leader, in a statement. The organization is calling for a law requiring supermarkets to offer their customers the option of using reusable packaging, a system for returning used bottles and for the UK to stop exporting waste abroad. The government banned the use of plastic microbeads in cosmetics manufacturing back in 2018, while banning singleuse plastic straws and cotton swabs in 2020.
*With information from EFE