Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed. It is not clear when the ban will come into effect but it follows similar moves by Scotland and Wales. Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said the move would help protect the environment for future generations. Campaigners welcomed the ban, but called for a wider-ranging plastic reduction strategy. Government figures suggest that 1.1 billion single-use plates and more than four billion pieces of plastic cutlery are used in England every year. Plastic waste often does not decompose and can last in landfill for many years. Although it might be useful in terms of food hygiene, it can also end up as litter, in turn polluting soil and water. Each person in England uses an average of 18 single-use plastic plates and 37 items of plastic cutlery every year, according to Defra, while just 10% of those are recycled.
