The government is set to ban single-use plastic items including plates, cutlery and trays in England to reduce pollution.
Although it is not yet clear when the ban will be put into action, environment secretary Thérèse Coffey has said this will help to “protect the natural environment for future generations”.
This comes as government figures found that England uses around 1.1 billion single-use plates and 4.25 billion pieces of cutlety, with only 10% recycled after use.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
According to reporting by The Guardian, a reponse to the consultation on proposals to ban certain single-use plastics in England will be released on Saturday.
“A plastic fork can take 200 years to decompose, that is two centuries in landfill or polluting our oceans,” Coffey told The Guardian.
“I am determined to drive forward action to tackle this issue head on. We’ve already taken major steps in recent years – but we know there is more to do, and we have again listened to the public’s calls.
“This new ban will have a huge impact to stop the pollution of billions of pieces of plastic and help to protect the natural environment for future generations.”
In response to Coffey, Greenpeace UK political campaigner, Megan Randles said: “Whilst it’s welcome that the government’s finally banned certain items; we’re dealing with a plastic flood, and this is like reaching for a mop instead of turning off the tap.”
She added that the government needs to “deliver a meaningful plastic reduction strategy”, including plastic reduction targets and a “proper reuse and refill scheme”.
“It’s time to stop pandering to industry lobbyists; stop promoting false solutions; and stop dumping our plastic waste in countries that have done the least to cause the climate crisis. Anything else is not global leadership on plastic.”
