Single-use plastic plates, cutlery and a range of other items will be banned in England from October, to curb their “devastating” impact on the environment, the government has confirmed.
The Department for the Environment said the ban will also cover single-use plastic bowls, trays and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.
However, the move will not apply to plates, trays and bowls used as packaging in what the Department called “shelf-ready pre-packaged food items”.
From October this year, the public will not be able to buy the banned items from retailers, takeaways or food vendors.
Under new legislation, it is expected the ban will be enforced through civil sanctions – but with the possibility of repeated breaches ending up in a criminal offence.
The ban follows a consultation on the issue by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that ran from November 2021 to February 2022.
Figures suggest that every year England uses about 1.1bn single-use plates and 4.25bn pieces of such cutlery, only 10% of which are recycled after being used.
According to research, plastic items relating to takeaway food and drink, including food containers and cutlery, make up the largest share of litter in the world’s oceans.
The environment, secretary Thérèse Coffey, said: “We all know the absolutely devastating impacts that plastic can have on our environment and wildlife.
“We have listened to the public and these new single-use plastics bans will continue our vital work to protect the environment for future generations.
“I am proud of our efforts in this area: we have banned microbeads, restricted the use of straws, stirrers and cotton buds and our carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by over 97% in the main supermarkets.”
Similar bans have already been made in Scotland and Wales.
The environment minister, Rebecca Pow, said that the government would also be “pressing ahead” with “plans for a deposit-return scheme for drinks containers and consistent recycling collections in England”.
In addition to this, the government is considering whether other measures are needed to target other items that are regularly thrown away as litter, such as wet wipes, tobacco filters and sachets.
