Plastic cutlery set to be phased out under new proposals

Polluting plastics including single-use polystyrene cups, plastic plates and cutlery will be reviewed as part of a public consultation this autumn, the government has announced.

But Kierra Box, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “Further consultation on plastics is no bad thing, but a product-by-product approach won’t fix the plastic pollution crisis at the speed we need.

“We can’t wait another 20 years to stop producing avoidable plastic waste typically derived from dirty, climate-wrecking oil, which chokes our seas, harms wildlife and enters our food chains.

“As part of the government’s upcoming Environment Bill, we need legally binding targets to slash plastic pollution, and to cut down on all single-use products, including paper and glass.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to make reuse and refill part of everyday life. We know the public wants it, the government must now make it easier for us all to make better choices.”

Greenpeace agreed and its head of oceans, Will McCallum, said: “Banning throwaway plastic items like plates and cutlery that are used once and can pollute our seas for centuries is a welcome move. But the UK government is simply playing catch-up with the EU, which has already ruled them out.

“After years of talking about being a leader in this field, the UK government has managed to crack down on a grand total of four single-use plastic items and micro-plastics.

“This snail-paced, piecemeal approach isn’t leadership. If the UK really wants to lead the world in tackling plastic waste, then it should use the Environment Bill to bring in legally binding targets to halve single-use plastic by 2025, ban exports of plastic scrap, and introduce an all-inclusive deposit return scheme for drinks containers.

“The UK public has long been willing and ready to move on from polluting throwaway plastic. Is the government listening?”