The ban on supplying plastic straws (as well as stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds) came into force in England on October 1. It is estimated that 4.7 billion plastic straws were used every year in England.
Dr Laura Foster, head of clean seas at the Marine Conservation Society was among those describing the ban as “fantastic news,” adding, “Only with ambitious policy and forward-thinking brands and companies, can we truly stop the plastic tide.”
Housewares suppliers continue to innovate with sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic products including reusable and biodegradable straws. The Hip Cleanstraw from Auteur scooped The Top Tool or Gadget Award in The Excellence in Housewares Awards 2019, and last year’s Innovation in Product Award finalists included Huski Home’s compostable straws, which are made from natural bulrush stems.
The recently announced Excellence in Housewares Awards 2020 Eco Award finalists include new Eco-Flex straws from Creative Party. Made in the USA, the sustainably sourced, biodegradable paper straws have the ‘bend and flex of a plastic straw’.
The Government’s efforts to reduce single-use plastic include recent confirmation that the single-use plastic bag charge will be increased to 10p and extended to all retailers. Environment secretary George Eustice says that the existing “5p charge on single-use plastic bags has successfully cut sales by 95% in the main supermarkets.”
The plastic straw ban has an exemption for people who are disabled or have a medical condition that may need them to use plastic straws.
Top: A biodegradable alternative to plastic straws that bend: Eco-Flex from Creative Party.
