England to ban single-use plastic cutlery and plates
Single-use items such as plastic cutlery, plates and trays will be banned in England to reduce pollution.
The figures show that every year England uses about 1.1 billion single-use plates and 4.25 billion of these cutlery, and only 10% of them are recycled after use. According to the study, plastic items used for takeaway food and drink, including food containers and cutlery, make up the largest proportion of litter in the world's oceans.
Now British Environment Minister Theresa Coffey is set to ban single-use plastic items, The Guardian reports, quoting: "A plastic fork can take 200 years to decompose, that is two centuries in a landfill or polluting our oceans."
Similar bans have already been introduced in Scotland and Wales, and the UK government has also banned single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton swabs in England in 2020.
However, the new move does not appear to be comprehensive. According to the Daily Mail, the ban applies to plastic utensils used for takeaway food and drinks, but not in places like supermarkets and shops. In the latter case, the items will be classified as "primary packaging".
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