... and now May has got ban on cutlery and cups in her sights

BUSINESSES should ban disposable cups and cutlery in the workplace, Theresa May said yesterday, as she set out plans to eliminate all ‘avoidable’ plastic.

Launching a 25-year environment strategy, the Prime Minister vowed to take action at ‘every stage of the production and consumption of plastic’ to drive down the amount of throwaway junk ending up in landfill sites and oceans.

Mrs May said the Government would lead by example by phasing out singleuse plastic from Whitehall offices and canteens. She urged bosses to follow suit, saying: ‘I want to see other large organisations commit to doing the same.’

She also warned supermarkets they ‘need to do much more to cut down on unnecessary plastic packaging’, including the introduction of plastic-free aisles ‘where all the food is sold loose’.

Speaking at the London Wetland Centre, the PM hailed the Daily Mail’s ‘tireless campaigning’ on the environment, adding: ‘The Daily Mail has done a good job in alerting the public to this issue.’ In a wide-ranging speech, Mrs May also:

Vowed that Brexit ‘will not mean a lowering of environmental standards’;

Confirmed that the 5p plastic bag tax will be extended to all retailers, including corner shops;

Warned that one in ten children never visit parks or the countryside and vowed to end this ‘social injustice’;

Confirmed ministers will launch a consultation for taxes on single-use plastic items such as disposable coffee cups;

Said the Government would ‘support the transition’ to zero-carbon vehicles;

Make it easier for families to recycle everyday items.

The Prime Minister said tackling Britain’s plastic problem would involve ‘everybody playing their part’. She said: ‘Individuals can recycle more and can be more careful about the plastics they are using, businesses can have an impact on the use of plastic in their environment.’

Mrs May also revealed that she and her husband Philip try to ‘do our little bit’ by recycling at home and making their garden more wildlife-friendly.

‘We try and recycle as much as possible,’ she said. ‘And I’m proud of the fact we’ve got a brown owl box, bird boxes and bat boxes up in our garden.’

Earlier, Environment Secretary Michael Gove hinted that the Government was open to the idea of a new tax on disposable coffee cups to encourage alternatives. The idea of a 25p ‘latte levy’ was put forward by MPs last week.

Asked about the initiative, Mr Gove said: ‘I think it’s an exciting idea, and it is one we are reflecting on.’

Senior Tories believe the party’s focus on the environment could help attract younger voters.

Ministers have already unveiled plans to crack down on the ivory trade and increase sentences for animal abusers.

At the weekend Mrs May confirmed she had dropped her pledge to give MPs the chance to repeal the ban on foxhunting, which was blamed for hitting the Tories’ election hopes last year.

Mrs May’s former communications chief Katie Perrior said while the PM’s passion for protecting the environment ‘may not be insincere’ it was ‘certainly new’.

Writing in The Times, she said: ‘When I was at No 10, Andrea Leadsom, then the environment secretary, was told to make the plan as boring as possible.’

Tory sources acknowledged the strategy, which was due to be published two years ago, had been beefed up.

But Mrs May dismissed the charge she was a late convert to green issues. She said the Conservatives had always understood that the present generation were ‘trustees charged with protecting and improving what we have inherited from those who went before us’.

Jeremy Corbyn called on the Government to be ‘much, much tougher’ on reducing plastic rubbish, saying the target of slashing waste by 2042 was too distant. The Labour leader said: ‘Twentyfive years is far too long.’

Green groups welcomed the measures but warned more rapid and widespread action was needed.

Greenpeace UK’s executive director John Sauven said the environment needed a ‘25-month emergency plan’ more than it needed a 25-year vision.