Plastic straw and cotton bud ban proposed

Announcing a consultation on a possible ban ministers said 8.5bn plastic straws were thrown away in the UK every year. The prime minster said plastic waste was "one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world". And Theresa May will urge leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which starts later, to follow the UK's lead in tackling the problem. The Queen will formally open the summit at an event at Buckingham Palace attended by prime ministers and presidents from the 53 states that make up the organisation. Mrs May said the UK was a "world leader" on tackling plastic waste, highlighting the charges that have been introduced for plastic bags, the ban on microbeads and the announcement in March of a consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England. "Alongside our domestic action, this week we are rallying Commonwealth countries to join us in the fight against marine plastics," she said. "The Commonwealth is a unique organisation, with a huge diversity of wildlife, environments and coastlines.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-43817287

Posted by admin on Apr 19 2018. Filed under News at Now. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry