. Earth Science News .
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Raft of single-use plastic items to be banned in England: govt
by AFP Staff Writers
London (AFP) Jan 14, 2023

England will ban a wide range of single-use plastic items from October including plates and cutlery in order to limit their "devastating" effect on the environment, the government said Saturday.

The new legislation will also cover single-use trays and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers, the environment ministry announced.

The department said England uses around 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery per year, mostly plastic, with only one in 10 items recycled.

Environmental policy is a devolved issue for the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK government in London sets policy in England.

Similar legislation has already been passed in Scotland and Wales.

Repeated breaches of the ban could end up constituting a criminal offence with offenders running the risk of a fine, said the department.

"We all know the absolutely devastating impacts that plastic can have on our environment and wildlife," said UK Environment Secretary Therese Coffey.

"We have listened to the public and these new single-use plastics bans will continue our vital work to protect the environment for future generations," she added.

The ban will not extend to supermarket ready meals, said the government.

Matt Hood, managing director at supermarket chain Co-op, welcomed the ban.

"We have been at the forefront of eradicating unnecessary plastic, so it is encouraging to see this ban being introduced and we have already removed plastic cutlery from our food to go, offering wooden forks instead," he said.

But environmental group Greenpeace UK said the plans did not go far enough.

"Whilst it's welcome that the government's finally banned certain items, we're dealing with a plastic flood, and this is like reaching for a mop instead of turning off the tap," said Megan Randles, political campaigner for Greenpeace UK.

"It's time to stop pandering to industry lobbyists; stop promoting false solutions; and stop dumping our plastic waste in countries that have done the least to cause the climate crisis," she added.


Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


FROTH AND BUBBLE
Sunlight pulps the plastic soup
Texel, Netherlands (SPX) Jan 12, 2023
UV light from the sun slowly breaks down plastics on the ocean's surfaces. Floating microplastic is broken down into ever smaller, invisible nanoplastic particles that spread across the entire water column, but also to compounds that can then be completely broken down by bacteria. This is shown by experiments in the laboratory of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, NIOZ, on Texel. In the latest issue of Marine Pollution Bulletin, PhD student Annalisa Delre and colleagues calculate th ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

FROTH AND BUBBLE
California looks to drier times as Biden declares disaster to speed aid

Drought, fire, flood: natural disasters test California town

Japan to start releasing treated water from Fukushima this year

NATO, EU look to protect critical infrastructure

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Sweden claims largest discovery of 'crucial' rare-earth elements in Europe

Riot at Chinese-funded nickel plant in Indonesia kills two

Unibap receives order from Thales Alenia Space

Seoul launches ambitious metaverse platform for city services, tourism

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Two thirds of reef sharks and rays risk extinction: study

Graves sink, fisheries shrink as climate change hits Fiji

Eating one wild fish same as month of drinking tainted water: study

Fiji military warns of 'concern' over new PM's reforms

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Runaway West Antarctic ice retreat can be slowed by climate-driven ocean temps

Runaway W. Antarctic ice sheet collapse not 'inevitable': study

That sinking feeling: Are ice roads holding up under January's unseasonable warmth?

Vegetation has a substantial impact on the movement of energy in the Arctic

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Argentine grain harvests threatened by persistent drought

Agricultural droughts will continue across water-scarce Central Asia: Study

Planet and NASA Harvest launch commercial partnership to advance food security

Rice breeding breakthrough to feed billions

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Looking back at the eruption that shook the world

7.0-magnitude quake hits eastern Indonesia, tsunami warning lifted

Flooded three times in two weeks, California town is fed up

6.2-magnitude quake hits off Indonesia's Sumatra: USGS

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Yellen heads to Africa as US seeks closer ties amid China inroads

Al-Shabaab storms Somali military base in deadly attack

Somali forces capture strategic town from Al-Shabaab

Senegalese soldier killed in clash with Casamance rebels: army

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Norway reveals stone tablet providing clues to origins of Western writing

Making fewer babies: the demographic decline

Childcare woes, costs and competition turn Chinese off parenting

China's population shrinks for first time in over 60 years









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.