The Mail’s up will this scourge
used only momentarily but can take hundreds of years to break down.
We have introduced a worldleading ban on microbeads and taken nine billion plastic bags out of circulation with our 5p carrier bag charge.
And today, I can announce that we will go further – we will ban the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and plastic- stemmed cotton buds. We are prepared to introduce a ban on the sale of these items, subject to consultation later this year.
A recent survey found 27 cotton buds are washed up on every 100 metres of beach in this country and another study
well as this, and in recognition of the support the UK public has shown on the issue, the UK Government will match pound-for-pound public donations to help tackle plastic pollution in developing countries that can end up in the world’s oceans and rivers.
Improving the health our oceans is one of the greatest environmental challenges we face. And today as leaders from across the Commonwealth gather together, collectively representing 2.4billion people, some 60 per cent of whom are under 30, it is vital that we hand on a world that is sustainable and cleaner for the next generation.