[ad_1]
From October 1, businesses in England can no longer supply, sell or offer certain single-use plastic items.
These include plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.
Businesses that continue to supply those items after October 1 could face fines.
The measure aims to tackle plastic pollution, which can take hundreds of years to break down and also produce greenhouse gases when burnt.
Restaurants in Brighton and Hove have already been taking steps to phase out single-use plastic ahead of the deadline.
Instead of supplying single-use cups, takeaway customers at Yellowave Cafe in Madeira Drive can use their own cups, purchase one from the restaurant – made from recycled coffee cups – or use a donated crockery mug.
We Love Falafel in Sydney Street has also ditched single-use plastic cutlery in favour of cornstarch cutlery to cut down on plastic pollution.
Venues operated by the city council have also worked to reduce plastic waste in recent years, with the Brighton Centre using cardboard containers and bamboo plates to serve food, along with wooden cutlery.
Although plastic cups are still used for concerts, staff are working with the Brighton Centre’s waste company to find a fully traceable and recyclable alternative.
Councillor Tim Rowkins, chairman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s city environment, South Downs and the Sea committee, said: “The amount of plastic waste we produce as a society is completely unsustainable and action to significantly reduce it is long overdue.
“As such, we welcome these new rules, which will help plastic pollution in our city and our environment.
“Production of plastics is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and so these changes are also crucial to our efforts to achieve net zero.
“We’d like to thank the many businesses here in Brighton and Hove who have been ahead of the curve on this and moved to more sustainable materials, but this legislation will encourage more local cafes, restaurants and takeaways to operate in a more sustainable way.”
[ad_2]
