Single use plastic ban

An assortment of brightly coloured single use plastic crockery on the grass

In January 2023, the Government announced a ban on a range of single-use plastic items that will come into effect from the start of October 2023.

From that point on, businesses across England will not be able to buy or sell certain single use plastic items. The ban includes single use plastic cutlery, trays, plates, bowls, and balloon sticks, as well as certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.

Why are these plastic items being banned?

It’s estimated that England uses 2.7 billion items of single use cutlery each year, and 721 million single use plates. Only 10% of these items are recycled.

Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and damages our oceans, rivers and land. It is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, from the production and manufacture of the plastic itself to the way it is disposed of.

It is expected that banning these items will have a significant impact on reducing plastic waste and littering in England. Plastic cutlery, for instance, was in the top 15 most littered items in the country by count in 2020.

This move follows an in-depth Government consultation, which saw over 95% of respondents in favour of the bans.

Read more on how your business can prepare for the single-use plastic ban.