Single-use plastic cutlery and drink stirrers now banned in Wales

Single use plastic cutlery and balloon sticks have been banned from being supplied in Wales from today.

It comes as part Welsh Government commitment to ‘embed our response to the climate and nature emergency in everything we do’

The purpose of the new law is to reduce the flow of plastic pollution into our environment by prohibiting the supply of certain single-use plastic products.

Public support for the ban has been positive with more than 87 per cent of people backing the move.

Several single use plastic items are now banned from being sold across Wales:-

• Single-use plastic plates
• Single-use plastic cutlery
• Single-use plastic drinks stirrers
• Cups made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene
• Takeaway food containers made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene
• Single-use plastic balloon sticks
• Single-use plastic-stemmed cotton buds
• Single-use plastic drinking straws (there are exemptions for those who need them to eat and drink safely and independently).

Climate Change Minister Julie James explained the Act forms part of the Welsh Government’s response to the climate and nature emergencies and ‘builds on momentum created by communities across Wales who have chosen to go plastic free, defy throwaway culture and tackle littering’

Julie James said: “This is the first step in phasing out the need for unnecessary single-use plastic being used and sold in Wales.

“We’re committed to eradicating single-use plastic and our next phase will see the banning of plastic single-use carrier bags, polystyrene lids for cups and food containers and products made of oxo-degradable plastic, which will come into force before the end of the Senedd term.

“Many businesses across Wales have already adopted the change prior to the ban by switching to reusable products or swapping out their plastic for cardboard or paper alternatives where reusables aren’t suitable.

“We’re also looking at plastic based wet wipes which can block drains, contribute to flooding and add microplastic fibres to our environment.

“If we all take a ‘Team Wales’ approach and look to reuse, recycle and repair more, it’ll help create a greener future for generations to come.”

Commenting on the news that single use plastics have been banned in Wales from today, Welsh Conservatives Shadow Climate Change Minister, Janet Finch-Saunders MS said:“Last year I successfully campaigned for the Labour Government to catch up with the rest of the UK and ban single use plastics and I am pleased to see it come into force today.

“Around 10m tonnes of plastic is dumped into the world’s oceans annually, with studies predicting that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. We can all do our part to beat plastic pollution.

“Hopefully now, Labour ministers can get on with its other long-awaited environmental promises like a Clean Air Act and show it is as serious about tackling climate change as the Welsh Conservatives.”

Delyth Jewell MS, Plaid Cymru Spokesperson on Climate Change and Deputy Senedd Leader said: “We want future generations to inherit a cleaner earth, so it’s vital that we turn the tide on our reliance on plastics that are choking our earth and even getting into our bloodstreams.

“While these new restrictions on Single Use Plastics are welcome, and urgently needed, we need to go even further and faster to rid ourselves of the plastic plague that pollutes are countryside, our seas and beaches.

“We have a chance here to ensure that our businesses can lead the way, and for Wales to be a world leader in recycling, so we need to provide the right support and incentives to businesses so that they can play a role.

“If we invest in research and development, Welsh businesses can be at the cutting edge in designing, producing and selling single-use plastic alternatives.

“It’s also vital that we make these changes in a way that is equitable and that doesn’t punish poorer households.

“We need to make it easy for people to make more sustainable choices when we live our lives – because we all have a crucial part to play in reaching net waste and net zero targets.”