Britain | England bans the vast majority of single-use plastic containers

English bans a large number of different single-use plastic products from October. The prohibited list includes, for example, plastic disposable plates and cutlery and trays, and it also covers certain types of polystyrene mugs and food containers.

The ban does not apply to ready meals bought in grocery stores.

The country’s Ministry of Environment informs about the solution in its announcement. According to the ministry, around 2.7 billion disposable cutlery, mostly made of plastic, are used in England each year, and only a tenth of them are recycled.

Environmental policy in Britain is devolved, meaning that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland decide on it themselves. Similar legislation has previously been passed in Scotland and Wales.

According to the British Ministry of the Environment, repeated violations of the ban could be classified as an offense for which a fine may be imposed.

Minister of the Environment Therese Coffey justified the ban by saying that everyone knows the harmful effects of plastic on the environment and wildlife.

Grocery chain Co-op leading Matt Hood is happy with the ban. He says in the ministry’s press release that the chain has been a pioneer in reducing unnecessary plastic and already offers wooden forks instead of plastic ones to those who buy ready-made food portions.

The British branch of the environmental organization Greenpeace does not consider the ban sufficient. A political campaigner in the organization Megan Randles said that although the ban is welcome in itself, it will not stop the plastic flood.

“This is like reaching for a mop instead of turning off the faucet,” he described.

“It’s time to stop working under the terms of industry lobbyists, marketing the wrong kind of solutions and abandoning plastic waste to countries that have done the least to cause the climate crisis.”