The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will ban single-use plastics by the end of 2018.
The plan to ban single-use plastics comes in response to the UK’s announcement that it is committed to tackling plastic pollution, with disposable single-use plastics in particular representing a large percentage of the environmental toll of plastics on the environment.
In recognition of this, the FCO’s London office has recently replaced all plastic cups, cutlery and plates with reusable ones, and also swapped plastic straws and condiment sachets with biodegradable alternatives.
Further, the foreign office plans to increase a levy on disposable coffee cups from £0.10 (~€0.11) to £0.50, following a recommendation from the UK parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee, which was published in a report in January.
What has the FCO said about the plan?
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson championed the initiative, and insisted that the UK wanted to become a world leader in the reuse and recycling of plastics to protect the environment.
He said: “It is time for the world to truly wake up to the damage being done to the environment, and especially by the sheer volume of plastic that is dumped in our oceans. If the UK is to turn the tide overseas on this crucial issue, it is only right that the Foreign Office leads the way at home.”
The FCO’s permanent under-secretary, Simon McDonald, added that the office’s commitment to ban single use plastics follows a number of earlier efforts to reduce its environmental impact, which have made vital progress.
McDonald explained: “Since 2009, the Foreign Office has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 39%, waste by 45%, paper consumption by 42% and water use by 12.9 million litres in our UK operations, but we must do more to reduce our use of plastic. I am confident we can meet the challenge put to us by the Foreign Secretary.”
