Ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds comes into force in England

clock • 3 min read

The long-delayed ban on single-use plastic items in England is aimed at stemming the rising tide of plastic waste entering environment and oceans

The supply of plastic straws, stirrers, cotton buds and other plastic items in England is now illegal, with the long-delayed ban on a host of single-use plastic items having finally come into effect today,...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Policy

Pesticide Action Network calls for UK ban on 'toxic' herbicide glyphosate

Pesticide Action Network calls for UK ban on 'toxic' herbicide glyphosate

Use of glyphosate – or Roundup – has grown 'dramatically' on UK farms since 1990 despite posing known health and environmental dangers

clock 09 April 2026 • 6 min read
Biodiversity Net Gain: Industry warns lack of guidance risks delaying major infrastructure projects

Biodiversity Net Gain: Industry warns lack of guidance risks delaying major infrastructure projects

Trade body BNG Federation urges government to publish long awaited guidance on how to comply with forthcoming Biodiversity Net Gain requirements for nationally significant infrastructure projects

clock 07 April 2026 • 4 min read
'First step in modernising': EU moves forward with ETS reforms in response to energy market shocks

'First step in modernising': EU moves forward with ETS reforms in response to energy market shocks

European Commission tables proposals to 'increase the firepower' of the EU ETS carbon permit reserve, sparking fears it could water down flagship carbon pricing scheme

Stuart Stone
clock 02 April 2026 • 4 min read