May calls for ban on single use cutlery
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 phase out single-use plastic from workplaces. 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 added: ‘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;
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.’
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.