Single-use plastics ban to take effect from October 2023

A wide range of single-use plastic products will be banned for use in England from October 2023, the Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has announced.

Following a public consultation last year, the 2020 ban on plastic cotton buds, drinks stirrers and straws will be extended to include larger items, such as plastic cutlery, trays and certain types of polystyrene food containers, as well as balloon sticks. The consultation was overwhelmingly in favour of the ban, with 95% of respondents supporting the measures.

Current estimates suggest England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery, the majority of which are made from plastic. From October 2023, consumers in England will no longer be able to buy these products from any business – this includes retailers, takeaways, food vendors and the hospitality industry.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

“We all know the absolutely devastating impacts that plastic can have on our environment and wildlife. We have listened to the public and these new single-use plastics bans will continue our vital work to protect the environment for future generations.

“I am proud of our efforts in this area: we have banned microbeads, restricted the use of straws, stirrers and cotton buds and our carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by over 97% in the main supermarkets.”

It is expected that banning these items will have a significant impact in 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; a further ban on other commonly littered items such as wet wipes, sauce sachets and tobacco filters is now also being considered.

The ban will not apply to plates, trays, and bowls that are used as packaging in shelf-ready pre-packaged food items, as these will be included in our plans for an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme. A plastic packaging tax was introduced in April 2022 that levies a £200 per tonne charge on manufactured of imported plastic packaging that does not at least 30% from recycled plastic.

The ban currently only applies in England, with devolved administrations able to set their own regulations over single-use plastic. A ban with similar scope came into effect in Scotland in August 2022, with rules in Wales also due to come into effect in Autumn 2023.