England’s ban on single-use plastic straws went into effect after a six-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The ban became effective on Thursday and was instituted as a way to cut down on single-use plastics. The ban, which was supposed to begin in April before being stalled by the pandemic, makes it illegal for businesses to sell or supply plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds, according to the BBC.
There is an exemption to the law that allows the items if people have medical conditions or disabilities that require their use.
Each year, people in England are estimated to dispose of some 4.7 billion single-use plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers, and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds, according to the U.K. Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. Many of those products end up as pollution in the ocean.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said that England is “firmly committed to tackling” issues with single-use plastic products.
“The ban on straws, stirrers, and cotton buds is just the next step in our battle against plastic pollution and our pledge to protect our ocean and the environment for future generations,” he said, according to Sky News.
“We are already a world leader in this global effort. Our five-pence charge on single-use plastic bags has successfully cut sales by 95% in the main supermarkets, we have banned microbeads, and we are building plans for a deposit return scheme to drive up the recycling of single-use drinks containers,” Eustice said.
Some U.S. cities have also banned single-use plastic straws, including Seattle and Washington, D.C.
