At the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit, the UK Government announced an end to the sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. Theresa May also called on all other Commonwealth countries to participate in the battle against plastic pollution, committing a £61.4 million funding package to boost global research and help the nations stop plastic waste from entering the water environment in the first place.
A recent study found that in the UK alone around 8.5 billion plastic straws are thrown away each year.
There is also a plan to launch a consultation later this year which will aim to collect views on the proposed legislation banning the sale of "avoidable" single-use plastic items, in line with the Government's 25 Year Environment Plan.
The consultation will also seek the potential alternatives which could be introduced instead of plastic and the appropriate phase-out duration to give the industry enough time to adapt.
The UK Prime Minister said: "Plastic Waste is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world, which is why protecting the marine environment is central to our agenda at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting."
"The UK Government is a world leader in this issue, and the British public have shown passion and energy embracing our plastic bag charge and microbead ban, and today we have put forward ambitious plans to further reduce the plastic waste from straws, stirrers and cotton buds."
"Alongside the domestic action, this week we are rallying Commonwealth countries to join us in the fight against marine plastics, with £61.4 million funding for global research and to improve waste management in developing countries."
Recently, Her Majesty's Treasury developed a consultation on the possible introduction of charges or a specific tax system, which aims to reduce the amount of single-use plastic waste by implementing the charges, similar to those introduced for the plastic carrier bags. The consultation runs until 18 May 2018.
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