Trading Standards is reminding businesses, such as takeaways, sandwich bars, care homes and retailers who supply certain single use plastic items, that a ban comes into force this October and they should start thinking now about alternatives and where to source them from.

The Government has announced a ban on a wide range of plastic items that is expected to come into effect from 1 October 2023.

It means that from October, businesses across England will not be able to supply certain single use plastic items to the end user.

The ban includes all single use plastic cutlery, trays, plates, bowls, and balloon sticks, as well as banning the use of certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers used to supply food which is ready to consume.

From October, members of the public won’t be supplied these products from any business - this includes retailers, takeaways, food vendors and the hospitality industry and the banwill apply to online and over-the-counter sales.

The ban includes the supply of items by businesses from new and existing stock and will cover all types of single-use plastic – including biodegradable, compostable, recycled and items wholly or partly made from plastic, including the coating or lining.

Businesses who continue to supply single use plastic items after the legislation comes into effect could be given a fine.

You can read more about this change and exemptions to it in guidance published by The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) If you have any questions about the what the new rules mean for your business, contact  Plastics.Consultation@defra.gov.uk

It is estimated that England uses 2.7 billion items of single use cutlery each year, and 721 million single use plates. Only 10% of these items are recycled.

Certain plastic items, such as straws stirrers and cotton buds, have already been banned.

Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and inflicts serious damage to our oceans, rivers, and land. It is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, from the production and manufacture of the plastic itself to the way it is disposed.

It is expected that banning these items will have a significant impact on reducing plastic waste and littering in England. Plastic cutlery, for instance, was in the top 15 most littered items in the country by count in 2020.

 Businesses could:

1. Swap plastic for bamboo or wooden cutlery for takeaway food
2. Swap plastic for metal cutlery for inhouse guests
3. Swap single use plastic plates or bows to re-usable alternatives that can be washed.
4. Offer paper plates instead of plastic
5. Offer to refill customers’ water bottles or travel cups.
6. Encourage customers to bring their own clean containers for takeaway food.

Rachael Holden, Group Manager Business Support, and Innovation for Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service said:

“Businesses should use up existing stock and find alternatives to single-use items. For instance, reusing plates, bowls and cutlery, or sourcing alternative single use items such as wood-based cutlery and paper-based plates.”

“It may be that you need to look for alternative suppliers and we advise that you start looking now if you haven’t already done so to ensure that your business is prepared when the new rules come into effect.”