NHS pledge to cut plastics

The NHS is pledging to cut more than 100 million plastic straws, cups and cutlery items from hospitals across England each year.

The use of single-use plastic across all catering will be cut as part of a drive to reduce waste and help the environment.

The move will affect staff and patient canteens, onward catering and plastics handed out by on-site retailers including Boots, M&S and WH Smith.

These major retailers have signed up to the pledge and promised to get rid of straws and stirrers from April 2020, with cutlery, plates and cups phased out over the following 12 months.

The NHS bought at least 163 million plastic cups, 16 million pieces of plastic cutlery, 15 million straws and two million plastic stirrers last year, NHS data shows.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said: "It's right that the NHS and our suppliers should join the national campaign to turn the tide on plastic waste.

"Doing so will be good for our environment, for patients and for taxpayers who fund our NHS.

"We're pleased that as a first step, major retailers operating in hospitals have committed to cut their plastics, starting with straws and stirrers, cutlery, plates and cups."

The NHS has written to hospitals urging them to back the campaign, sign the pledge and curb plastic waste.

Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England, said: "Across the NHS, nurses, midwives and other frontline staff are providing great leadership on environmental issues and championing sustainability where they work.