Britain seeks ban of single use plastic plates and cutlery in England

"There is growing recognition of the damage that plastics cause to our environment and marine life in particular. We want to reduce the use of plastics in packaging and ban its use in items linked to littering," said environment minister George Eustice.

LONDON: Single-use plastic plates and cutlery and polystyrene cups could all be banned in England as the British government seeks to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste, it said on Saturday.

England uses 1.1 billion single-use plates and 4.25 billion items of single-use cutlery, most of which are plastic, per year, but only 10% are recycled upon disposal, it said.