Are you up to speed with new ban on single-use plastics?
Posted on in Business News
From the start of October, bans and restrictions on single-use plastic cutlery, polystyrene cups and food containers, single-use balloon sticks and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers have come into force. This applies to England only.
There will also be a restriction to the supply of single-use plastic trays and bowls to members of the public, although businesses can continue to supply these items if they are used as packaging in shelf-ready pre-packaged food items.
These restrictions may be relevant to bike cafes.
This is part of the government’s commitment to tackling plastic pollution and littering and to reduce avoidable waste. Single-use plastics have damaging environmental impacts as they are commonly littered and are difficult to recycle. England uses around 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery — most of which are plastic — and 721 million single-use plates per year, but only 10% are recycled.
If the rules are not complied with, a range of enforcement options have been provided, including both civil and criminal sanctions. The bans will be enforced by Trading Standards.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has produced a range of downloadable posters and documents for retailers to use. To access these, click here.