Plastic straws may be banned by next year

Prime Minister to call on Commonwealth countries to join the fight against single-use pollution

Plastic stirrers, straws, and cotton wool buds could be banned as early as next year, Theresa May will say today as part of an attempt to rid the world of single-use plastic. The Prime Minister will use the announcement at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London to call on all other Commonwealth countries to join in the fight against plastic pollution. A consultation proposing a ban on single-use plastic in England will be published later this year.

BILLIONS of plastic stirrers, straws, and cotton wool buds could be banned as early as next year, Theresa May will say today, as part of a bid to rid the world of single use plastic.

The Prime Minister will use the announcement to call on all other Commonwealth countries to join in the fight against plastic pollution at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London.

A consultation proposing a ban on single use plastic in England will be published by Michael Gove, the Environment secretary, later this year. The ban – which will not include plastic straws required for medical reasons – could be in place by next year, sources said.

Mrs May will today describe plastic waste as “one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world”.

She will say: “The UK Government is a world leader on this issue, and the British public have shown passion and energy embracing our plastic bag charge and microbead ban. Today we have put forward ambitious plans to further reduce plastic waste from straws, stirrers and cotton buds.”

Britain is likely to use its two-year chairmanship of the Commonwealth to drive forward its anti-plastic agenda.

Mrs May will say: “The Commonwealth is a unique organisation, with a huge diversity of wildlife, environments and coastlines. Together we can effect real change.”

Mr Gove first disclosed his plans to ban single use plastic straws in an interview with The Telegraph’s Chopper’s Brexit Podcast in February.

He has also supported the Stircrazy campaign which urges consumers to stop using plastic stirrers in their coffee. Mr Gove will say today: “Single-use plastics are a scourge on our seas and lethal to our precious environment and wildlife so it is vital we act now.

“We have already banned harmful microbeads and cut plastic bag use, and now we want to take action on straws, stirrers and cotton buds to help protect our marine life.

“We’ve already seen… retailers, bars and restaurants stepping up to the plate and cutting plastic use, however it’s only through government, businesses and the public working together that we will protect our environment for the next generation – we all have a role to play in turning the tide on plastic.”

There are over 150 million tons of plastic in the world’s oceans and every year one million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals die from eating or getting tangled in plastic waste.

Luke Douglas-home, the founder of the Stircrazy campaign, said: “We use them for four seconds and then they last for centuries. It is great that Theresa May and Michael Gove are walking it like they are talking it. They are doing something about the worldwide problem of plastics in the environment.

“Now it is up to other countries to follow this lead in questioning all of our single use plastics.”

Last month, the Government announced a deposit return scheme to increase recycling rates and slash the amount of waste polluting land and sea.

Companies are already bringing in their own bans ahead of the government action.

Deliveroo, the restaurant food delivery service, said it had saved tens of millions of pieces of plastic cutlery after customers were offered the option of not using it.