All but the most essential plastics will be banned within 25 years under new Bill

PLASTIC will be phased out by 2042 except where it is essential, MPS will say today, as they introduce a Bill to cut waste and pollution.

The draft Bill will be presented in Parliament by Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, whose constituency suffers from alarming levels of microplastics washing up on its shores, threatening birds and sea life.

It calls for a complete ban on plastic except where it is essential, for example when required in healthcare or for safety. The Bill would also ban singleuse plastics – such as coffee cups, takeaway packaging and cutlery – by 2025.

MPS are also seeking an independent advisory committee on plastics pollution to advise government policy.

“Our Government has got to start taking the threat of plastic in our oceans more seriously,” Mr Carmichael said. “We have got to get ambitious if we are to reverse the current trend in plastic pollution and to do that we must challenge our throwaway culture.”

More than 300 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide each year and 10 per cent ends up in the sea.

It is estimated that there is now a one-to-two ratio of plastic to plankton and, if left unchecked, plastic will outweigh fish by 2050.

The Bill, drawn up with the help of Friends of the Earth and the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, has cross-party support from MPS including Caroline Lucas of the Green party, Mary Creagh of Labour, and Zac Goldsmith of the Conservative party.

Last year, Theresa May pledged to eradicate all avoidable plastic waste in the UK by 2042, but is yet to set out a plan for achieving the goal. Campaigners say the law must be changed to force the Government to take action.

Craig Bennett, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, said: “The only practical way to really end the scourge of plastic pollution in the next 25 years is through legislation.

“It’s time to get drastic on plastic and take bold action with a timetabled phase-out of all but the most essential plastics.”

A new Yougov poll for the group, released today, shows that nearly nine in 10 people (89 per cent) support legislation to cut plastic waste and pollution.