All single-use items will face charges in bid to end our 'throwaway culture' and curb the tide of plastic pollution

Wooden cutlery and paper cups could soon face charges on single-use items
Proposal made yesterday would be similar to the 10p charge on plastic bags
Aim is to discourage consumers and cut the amount of rubbish going to landfill

By Colin Fernandez Environment Correspondent For The Daily Mail

Published: 01:35 BST, 21 October 2021 | Updated: 01:35 BST, 21 October 2021

e-mail

Single-use items such as wooden cutlery and paper cups could soon face charges to put an end to ‘throwaway culture’.

The proposal made in Parliament yesterday would target materials that do not contain plastic but are intended to only be used once.

It would mean additional levies, similar to the 10p charge on plastic bags, to discourage consumers from using them, and to cut the amount of rubbish going to landfill or incineration.

Single-use items such as wooden cutlery and paper cups could soon face charges, similar to the 10p charge on plastic bags, to put an end to 'throwaway culture' (stock image)

The Daily Mail, with campaigns including Turn the Tide on Plastic and Banish the Bags, has championed the battle against plastic pollution.

The Government hopes it will encourage consumers to use more sustainable items, with the carrier bag charge cutting sales by 95 per cent.

Ahead of MPs’ votes on the Environment Bill today, a Government spokesperson said: ‘This change to the Environment Bill will mean we can put an end to “here-today gone-tomorrow” throwaway culture.

The proposal made in Parliament yesterday would aim to discourage consumers from using them, and to cut the amount of rubbish going to landfill or incineration (stock image)

'We have already made huge progress turning the tide on plastic. But new powers will mean we can turn our target to any single-use item destined to landfill.’

The move is a concession to peers, led by Labour’s Shadow Environment Minister Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, who passed an amendment to the Government’s flagship Environment Bill.

The legislation already contained laws to make it easier for ministers to introduce charges on single-use plastics, which will now be extended to cover all materials.