England begins enforcing ban on single-use plastics

A ban on supplying single-use plastics came into force in England as of Sunday.

Businesses can no longer sell single-use plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays.

However, the ban does not include plastic containers and trays used in takeaways or for pre-packaged food in shops.

In a statement in May, the government said that sellers who continue to supply banned single-use plastics after the deadline could be fined.

Last year, a similar ban was implemented in Scotland, which became the first part of the UK to do so.

It is estimated that UK households throw away a staggering 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging a year, according to figures from the online platform Statista released in August.

Single-use plastic plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks and cotton buds were also banned in European Union in 2021.