UK set to ban plastic straws to control marine litter

World
Europe

The UK has rolled out a plan to ban plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds to control the growing amount of marine litter. The announcement on Wednesday comes just before the start of Commonwealth Summit in London.

More than 8.5 billion plastic straws are thrown away each year in the UK, most of them end up in rivers and seas, a recent study revealed. The government is preparing to ban the sale of these items in the country in a bid to reduce litter in rivers and oceans.

Globally, over 150 million tons of plastic waste pollutes oceans every year. As a result one million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals die after consuming or getting tangled in plastic litter. Environmental Secretary, Michael Gove stressed that 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.”

The UK government has also committed a 61.4-million-pound package fund to boost global research into ways to reduce plastic waste. The fund will also help countries across the Commonwealth stop plastic waste from entering the oceans.

Prime Minister Theresa May said, “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, and today we have put forward ambitious plans to further reduce plastic waste from straws, stirrers and cotton buds.”

“Alongside our domestic action, this week we are rallying Commonwealth countries to join us in the fight against marine plastics,” May added.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that has launched CleanSeas campaign has been seeking strong policy commitment to control marine pollution. UNEP’s estimate claims, in 1950, the world’s population of 2.5 billion produced 1.5 million tons of plastic. In 2016, a global population of more than 7 billion people produced over 300 million tons of plastic.

Gove added, we’ve already seen a number of 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.

[Top Image: Marine litter weighing more than 300 tonnes of mainly plastic is on its way from the Bronx to a recycling plant in Brooklyn, New York. /VCG Photo]