The government has confirmed that England is set to ban single-use plastic cutlery and plates in order to tackle the problems related to pollution, Daily Mail reported on Sunday (January 8).
Media reports last month mentioned that the government has been mulling over the ban. Now, the latest reports suggest that Thérèse Coffey, who is the environment secretary, is set to ban single-use plastic items.
The report mentioned that the decision comes after consultation on the issue by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
As quoted, Coffey said that a plastic fork can take up to “200 years to decompose” and over the span of two centuries, it will remain in a landfill or may pollute oceans, harming the living organisms.
She said, “I am determined to drive forward action to tackle this issue head on. We’ve already taken major steps in recent years – but we know there is more to do, and we have again listened to the public’s calls.”
She also added, “This new ban will have a huge impact to stop the pollution of billions of pieces of plastic and help to protect the natural environment for future generations.”
The report mentioned that the ban may include plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers next week—most probably Saturday.
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