Plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers banned in the UK

LONDON Oct 2: Single use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds are banned from today – as part of a clampdown on plastic pollution.

That means it is now illegal for businesses to supply plastic straws, drinks stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds to customers.

But there some exceptions to the effort, which the Government said was the latest step in the fight against single-use plastic waste to protect the environment and oceans

An estimated 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds were used in England each year, officials said.

The ban on the plastic products had been due to come in in April but was delayed until October due to the challenges coronavirus posed to businesses.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “Single-use plastics cause real devastation to the environment and this Government is firmly committed to tackling this issue head on.

An exemption will allow hospitals, bars and restaurants to provide plastic straws to people with disabilities or medical conditions that require them.