As of 1st October, the new regulations banning certain single-use plastics have come into place, restricting the sale of specific food packaging materials.

The banned single-use products include:

• Cutlery
• Polystyrene cups
• Food containers
• Plastic plates
• Plastic trays
• Plastic bowls.

Items not included in the ban are single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls used as packaging in shelf-ready pre-packaged food items (e.g. microwave meals), as these will be included in Government plans for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which has experienced delays to its submission deadline.

Bans have been widely supported, says Defra

Responses from the public to the Defra consultation on the ban demonstrated overwhelming support, with 95% in favour of all prohibitions. Government states that “people and businesses want to do the right thing for the environment” and banning these items will be a significant help in reducing plastic waste and littering – plastic cutlery, for instance, was in the top 15 most littered items in the country in 2020.

Rebecca Pow, UK Environment Minister said: “This new ban is the next big step in our mission to crack down on harmful plastic waste. It will protect the environment and help to cut litter – stopping plastic pollution dirtying our streets and threatening our wildlife.

“This builds on world-leading bans on straws, stirrers and cotton buds, our single-use carrier bag charge and our plastic packaging tax, helping us on our journey to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.”

Helen Bird, head of material systems at the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) said: “Single-use plastics dominate our world, and have even become embedded into the planet itself. This ban is an important moment in tackling the scourge of plastic pollution.

“Since 2018, WRAP has worked with businesses under The UK Plastics Pact to eliminate all unnecessary and unrecyclable plastic packaging. Since then, 620 million single-use plastic items have been removed from shops. But we must go further, including on plastic packaging on most fruit and vegetables – and help save shoppers money by allowing people to buy what they need.”

The Government aims to implement a deposit return scheme for drinks containers to prevent them being landfilled, incinerated or littered, and plans to simplify recycling collections for every household and business in England.

For more detail regarding the ban, view the Food Management Today magazine article on the plastics ban here.