London bans 'single-use' plastic cutlery October 2023

Britain's Department of Environment and Agriculture announced Saturday that London will ban single-use plastic cutlery in England from October 2023 to protect oceans from plastic pollution.

It will also ban plastic plates, cutlery, bowls, trays and certain types of single-use polystyrene cups or containers, especially from distributors, restaurants, hotels and food stands.

These measures were taken after a public consultation showed that there was strong support for removing these pots from the market.

According to the British Ministry, England uses 2.7 billion pieces of single-use tableware annually, and only 10% of them are recycled.

Companies that fail to comply with the ban will be fined, and in case of repeated violations, a criminal penalty may be imposed.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said she was "proud of our efforts" to reduce plastic pollution and protect the oceans, citing the ban already in place on "microbedas, drinking straws, stirrers and cotton swabs".

She added that the imposition of fees on plastic bags led to a decrease in sales by 97% in supermarkets.

However, the ban will not apply to plates, trays and containers used for packaging in "self-service pre-packaged foods and plates".

The government is considering new measures targeting tissues, coffee filters and bags.

Environmental NGO Greenpeace welcomed the ban on "certain items" made of plastic, but said: "We are drowning in plastic and this decision is like using a water mop instead of turning off the tap."

"We need the government to adopt a meaningful plastic reduction strategy with targets and systems for the reuse" of the containers, she added in a statement.

Single-use plastic containers have been banned in the European Union since July 2021.

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