Today we say goodbye and good riddance to some of the most commonly used single-use plastics.

The legislation to remove these products should have come into effect back in April, however this was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Now, an official ban has been placed on the sale and distribution of plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers. It is now illegal in almost all circumstances for retailers, restaurants, and commercial businesses to hand these out to consumers.

There are only a few exemptions in place to protect the welfare of people with disabilities and medical conditions who may need plastic straws. Otherwise, we can say farewell to these single-use plastics for good.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said:

“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. 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.”

He admitted that they are firmly committed to tackling the environmental issues caused by plastic waste and this ban is a big step towards bettering the UK’s sustainability. Great news hey?

How were these single-use plastics affecting us before?

Plastic straws were being used significantly every day before today’s ban. A lot of people would not think twice before picking up a straw nor would the population think twice about throwing a cotton bud or two straight into the general waste bin.

The problem is, when one person does this and thinks ‘one won’t hurt’ we must bear in mind that millions of people will have this similar mindset. This means millions of single-use plastics end up in bins which eventually end up in landfill or in our environment.

Pre-pandemic, Defra stated that the UK was getting through 5 billion straws annually, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion cotton buds.

While this ban is a step in the right direction, green campaigners have argued otherwise.

John Read, founder of Clean Up Britain said this ban ”is only the tip of the iceberg.’’

He said:

‘I think the government do deserve some credit for nudging people’s behaviour in the right direction, but actually when you look at it, it’s really more piecemeal and symbolic than anything else.’

‘We need to change people’s behaviour in a sustainable and permanent way, we need to see a national behavioural change campaign and that’s what we haven’t got in this country at the moment.’

‘People have got to understand that when they throw away plastic straws, hamburger packets, crisp packets, it’s all their own personal pollution… so people understand that they’re doing the damage to the environment.’

Despite the ban on these products, new villains have arrived to replace them.

We have made great progress by providing an official ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds; however, just as we achieved this, disposable PPE took their place.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought an influx of single-use plastic products which could only be worn once, are unable to be recycled and must be disposed with no feasible possibility to be repurposed.

Face masks and plastic gloves can be seen littered throughout the streets and the environment recently, which is harming the environment and wildlife just as much as today’s banned products do.

The RSPCA’s Head of Wildlife Adam Grogan says that the charity has been called out more frequently for animals who are getting caught up in discarded PPE.

He said:

‘We are seeing an increase in animals getting caught up in things like masks…they’ve got their legs or other parts of their bodies entangled in things like the elastic bands that go over the ears.’

‘This proposed legislation coming in about single use plastics should help us to refocus on the fact that the pandemic has created another set of single use items that actually we don’t need to use, especially we can use reusable items a lot of the time.’

So, is this the end of cotton buds and straws forever?

No, it’s not, but it is the end of plastic ones!

There are loads of biodegradable and sustainable cotton buds options that you can buy, you can also find metal, reusable straws that are compact and convenient.

This ban has simple allowed us to stop unbiodegradable and non-recyclable products from polluting the environment and spilling its natural beauty and harming fauna.

The question now is, what are the next steps to take towards tackling the overall plastic pollution crisis?

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