Government announces consultation on single use plastics

Single-use plastic plates, cutlery, expanded and extruded polystyrene cups and food and beverage containers could all soon be phased out in the latest Government bid to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.

Environment Secretary George Eustice has today announced a public consultation on the issue.   The 12 week review could lead to mandatory labeling on packaging to help consumers dispose of these items correctly, or ultimately to a full ban on polluting plastics in England.

According to estimates, England uses 1.1 billion single-use plates, 4.25 billion items of single-use cutlery, and 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups per year.

Announcing the consultation, Environment Secretary George Eustice said:

“Plastic damages our environment and destroys wildlife. This Government has waged war on unnecessary, wasteful plastics – banning the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, while our carrier bag charge has cut consumption by 95% in the main supermarkets”.

“But it’s time we left our throwaway culture behind once and for all. Through our world-leading Environment Act, we will reduce waste and make better use of our resources, helping us to build back greener and leave the environment in a better state than we found it.

The consultation comes a week after the passage of the Environment Act which will enable tougher action on single-use plastics in England. The Act includes powers to place charges on single-use items, and the call to evidence will explore whether such a charge could be placed on single use cups or sachets to encourage a shift away from throwaway culture.

The government is introducing a plastic packaging tax from from April 2022, set at £200 per tonne on plastic packaging which doesn’t meet a minimum threshold of at least 30% recycled content.