CNN
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Single-use plastic cutlery, plates and other items have been banned by the UK government and will be replaced with biodegradable items.
The UK has already banned some single-use plastic items such as straws, stirrers and cotton swabs, but a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told CNN Wednesday that the government will “decrease even more quickly.” I decided,” he said. Please reuse and recycle more of our resources. ”
A spokesperson said the ministry will hold public consultations on new regulations on plastics in the UK and will address the issue soon. A similar ban is already in place in Scotland and will be in place in Wales next year. The Financial Times reported that UK Environment Secretary Therese Coffey will announce firm plans in the coming weeks.
According to the government, 1.1 billion single-use tableware and 4.25 billion single-use cutlery are used in the UK each year, equivalent to 20 dishes and 75 cutlery per person. Only 10% of this huge pile of plastic ends up being recycled, the government said in a consultation document, adding that plastic cutlery is the UK’s most messy item, and that of his 15 items, he’s 1 I added that it is one.
Research shows that limiting the use of plastic products can be effective. A report published in 2018 found a significant drop in the number of plastic bags littering the UK seabed after the UK banned free plastic bags. The UK has committed to eliminating all avoidable plastic waste by 2042, and the latest proposal is in line with other bans around the world.
Last summer, the European Union banned single-use plastic dishes, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks and cotton swabs. India, the second most populous country in the world, imposed a ban In July of this year, we investigated single-use plastic items such as straws, cutlery, earphones, packaging film, plastic sticks for balloons, candy and ice cream, and cigarette packaging. And later this month, Canada will make it illegal to manufacture and import plastic bags, cutlery, food service utensils, stirrers and straws.
In the United States, California introduced sweeping new limits on single-use plastics in June, requiring all single-use packaging and single-use plastic food service items to be recyclable or compostable by 2032. rice field.
The United Nations warns that the world faces a huge plastic pollution problem if governments don’t act quickly.a report The United Nations Environment Programme, published last year, revealed that the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple to 37 million tonnes annually by 2040.
Single-use plastics also contribute to climate change, as most are derived from fossil fuels and generate emissions at every stage of their life cycle. At current production rates, plastic emissions threaten the world’s ability to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees.
In an attempt to tackle this problem, the UN Environment Assembly passed a historic resolution earlier this year to end plastic pollution and create the world’s first legally-binding global environment. plastic pollution convention By 2024.
The move was hailed as a huge success, but with some of the world’s most powerful companies working hard to water down the proposal, it will likely be difficult to get concrete agreement. The American Chemistry Council, which represents the likes of ExxonMobil Chemical Company and Shell, has lobbied against production caps and bans, calling them “misguided.”
