Single-use plastics ban: intro for small bakeries

While we think it’s unlikely that many Real Bread business owners supply single-use plastic items to their customers, this is for the information of small bakeries that do.

As announced in May, from 1 October 2023, The Environmental Protection (Plastic Plates etc. and Polystyrene Containers etc.) (England) Regulations 2023 make it illegal for businesses in England to ‘sell, supply or offer’ single-use:

• plastic cutlery (knives, forks, spoons, sporks, chopsticks etc.)
• polystyrene cups. 
• polystyrene food containers.
• balloon sticks.

The government advises any business requiring help with the detail of the regulations to read official guidance or contact the trading standards department of their local authority, who are responsible for interpreting and enforcing the rules. 

The government also advises anyone needing to report a breach of the regulations to contact trading standards, despite many local authorities directing people with trading standards complaints/queries to contact Citizens Advice.

Bowls, plates and trays

Businesses can still supply single-use plastic plates, bowls and trays if they “are packaging (pre-filled or filled at the point of sale).” Government guidance gives the following as examples:

• a pre-filled salad bowl or ready meal packaged in a tray.
• a plate filled at the counter of a takeaway.
• a tray used to deliver food.

Other examples include the massive plastic trays with clear lids used for catering/parties by sandwich chain shops and supermarkets; and those single-serve bubbles that some retailers use to show off their Instagrammable cupcakes, doughnuts and whatnot.

Other parts of the UK

The Northern Ireland Protocol has required the EU ban on the supply of single-use plastic plates, cutlery, balloon sticks, drink stirrers, cotton bud sticks, and expanded polystyrene containers and cups since July 2021, however this still has not been enacted.

On 1 June 2022, Scotland became the first nation in the UK to ban single-use plastic cutlery plates, straws, drinks stirrers, balloon sticks, cups and food containers made of expanded polystyrene, including their covers and lids.

The Welsh Assembly ‘aims’ to introduce phase 1 of The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 on 30 October 2023. This will prohibit the sale/supply of

• single-use plastic plates, including paper plates with a laminated plastic surface.
• single-use plastic cutlery.
• single-use plastic drinks stirrers.  
• cups made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene.
• takeaway food containers made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene.
• balloon sticks.
• plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
• single-use plastic drinking straws.

Already banned

Single-use plastic straws* and stirrers were banned in England on 1 October 2020. See guidance.

Additionally, the charge on single-use plastic carrier bags was doubled to 10p in April 2021.

Single-use vapes (complete with batteries), of which something like 7 million are sold in the UK each week but rarely recycled, are still legal, as are so many other single-use plastic items, but those are battles we’ll leave other organisations to lead…

*Though there’s a weird, 'under-the-counter' loophole for straws as long as they are kept out of sight and reach of customers, not advertised verbally or in writing, and only given to people who ask for them.