At last some political news to be celebrated ! The government has announced new legislation that bans the use of single-use plastic cutlery and plates in England where hospitality businesses will need to use more environmentally friendly alternatives. This follows a similar ban in Scotland that became effective on 12th August 2022 and in Wales that will come in to force in the Autumn of 2023.
More details were given on a press release on www.gov.uk -
"A range of polluting single-plastics will be banned in England. The ban will include single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers. This ban will be introduced from October 2023, allowing businesses time to prepare.
According to estimates, England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery - most of which are plastic - and 721 million single-use plates per year, but only 10% are recycled. If 2.7 billion pieces of cutlery were lined up they would go round the world over eight and a half times (based on a 15cm piece of cutlery).
From October, people won't be able to buy these products from any business - this includes retailers, takeaways, food vendors and the hospitality industry. Over 95% of those who responded to our consultation were in favour of the bans.
Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and inflicts serious damage to 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".
The legislation doesn't apply to office and non-hospitality businesses but now would be the perfect time to implement a single-use plastic-free policy in your workplace that shows how much you care about the future of our planet and could save you money in the longer term such as -
- Encourage employees to use their own cutlery, containers and reusable drinks bottles
- Use biodegradable or compostable alternatives like bamboo or cardboard
- Offer an incentive to those who bring their own cups and cutlery
- Install an environmentally friendly drinks dispenser that reduces the use of plastic bottles, milk cartons and plastic packaging
- Eco-conscious and natural cleaning products are readily available so it's easy to change your habits.
You'll find plenty of eco-friendly office supplies in our current issue of Office Vibes, look out for refillable pens and recyclable products.
Plastic is causing incredible harm to our wonderful planet, your business will benefit from a shift away from a single-use plastic culture, reducing your consumption and making it a team effort.
