Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay, has welcomed the legislation to ban the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, which will be laid before Parliament today, marking an important step in the Government’s fight against single-use plastics.
The ban will ensure that less single-use plastics enter the environment, whilst protecting those with medical requirements or disabilities
Commenting, Steve said:
“As Chair of the Ocean Conservation All Party Parliamentary Group I have long campaigned for this legislation and I am delighted to see it start its journey through Parliament today.”
“In England, it is estimated that we use 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds every year. An estimated 10% of cotton buds are flushed down toilets and can end up in waterways and oceans and threaten precious marine wildlife.”
“This is a big step forward for living more sustainably and I will give this legislation my full support as it moves forward to becoming law.”
Following a public consultation in Autumn 2018 which saw huge support, the Government confirmed in May 2019 that it would implement a ban with exceptions to ensure that those with medical needs or a disability are able to access plastic straws.
The Government will carry out a stocktake after one year to assess the impact of these measures and whether the balance is correct.