Closed 22nd October 2020
The Welsh Government is seeking views on proposals to ban nine single use plastic products. The aim is to help address the environmental damage caused by inappropriate disposal of these products. Under the proposals businesses would be banned from providing these products to end users (consumers) in Wales. The items are aligned with those included in Article 5 of the European Union’s Single Use Plastic Directive (EU) 2019/904 and are:
- plastic stemmed cotton buds
- cutlery (including knives, forks, spoons, sporks and chopsticks)
- plates (including trays, platters, bowls and laminated paper plates)
- beverage stirrers
- straws
- sticks for balloons
- food containers made of expanded polystyrene
- cups for beverages made of expanded polystyrene
- oxo-degradable products (plastic products which break down by oxidation into micro-fragments) such as some plastic bottles, carrier bags and agricultural mulch films
The consultation also asks if wet wipes be included in future proposals for further bans or are there other measures which should be introduced to address them, for example Extended Producer Responsibility? And are there any other items that should be included in any future proposals to tackle single use plastics?
The proposals would contribute to the Wales Litter Prevention Plan and support the Marine Litter Action Plan developed by the Wales Clean Seas Partnership.
To see more information and to respond click here.