London, UK: The government of England has stated that single-use products like plastic cutlery, plates, and trays will be outlawed in an effort to cut down on pollution. Statistics show that barely 10 percent of the 4.25 billion pieces of single-use cutlery and the 1.1 billion single-use plates used in England each year get recycled.

According to research, plastic cutlery and food containers used for takeaway make up the largest portion of litter in the world’s oceans. As per reports from last month, Ms. Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, is now planning to outlaw a number of single-use plastic items.

The action comes after Defra, the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs had a consultation on the subject from November 2021 to February 2022.

“A plastic fork can take 200 years to decompose, that is two centuries in landfill or polluting our oceans, I am determined to drive forward action to tackle this issue head-on. We’ve already taken major steps in recent years – but we know there is more to do, and we have again listened to the public’s calls,”  Ms. Coffey remarked.

“This new ban will have a huge impact to stop the pollution of billions of pieces of plastic and help to protect the natural environment for future generations,” Ms. Coffey added.

The response to the consultation on proposals to ban commonly dumped single-use plastic goods in England will be publicly disclosed. Similar bans have already been made in Scotland and Wales, while the UK government banned single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds in England in 2020, as per the report.

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