Single-use plastic cutlery and plates to be banned in England

Items such as disposable plastic cutlery, trays and plates will be outlawed for foodservice uses, but not yet in supermarkets and other settings, which the government says it will address through other means. 

Single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds were already banned in England in 2020. 

The ban’s expansion, confirmed by British environment secretary Thérèse Coffey, follows a consultation on the issue by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that ran from November 2021 to February 2022.