England bans certain single-use plastics to curb ‘harmful’ waste

Bans and restrictions on supplying single-use plastics have come into force in England.

From Sunday, all businesses – including retailers, takeaways, food vendors and hospitality firms – can no longer sell certain plastic items.

The ban will apply to single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks and polystyrene cups and food containers.

Meanwhile, the use of single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls will be restricted.

The new regulations, announced by the British government in January, come as part of efforts to cut down on plastic pollution.

The government estimates that people across England use 2.7 billion items of mostly plastic single-use cutlery and 721 million single-use plates every year but only 10 per cent are recycled.