The UK government has confirmed that single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates, and polystyrene trays will be banned in England, following similar moves in Scotland and Wales.

It’s unclear when the ban will come into effect but it has been said by the environment secretary, Thérése Coffey that the move will help protect the environment for future generations.

Government figures suggest that 1.1 billion single-use plates and more than four billion pieces of plastic cutlery are used in England every year. Each person in England uses an average of 18 single-use plastic plates and 37 items of plastic cutlery every year, according to the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affiars.

Only 10% of that is recycled.

Environment minister, Thérése Coffey is set to ban a range of single-use plastic items mainly relating to takeaway food and drink.

“I am determined to drive forward action to tackle this issue head on. We’ve already taken major steps in recent years – but we know there is more to do, and we have again listened to the public’s calls,” she said.

“This new ban will have a huge impact to stop the pollution of billions of pieces of plastic and help to protect the natural environment for future generations.”

The BBC writes that similar bans have already ben introduced in Scotland, while single-use plastic straws, stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds were banned in England in 2020. Scotland introduced a ban on businesses using a range of single-use plastic goods in June last year. Laws for a similar ban in Wales were approved in December and will come into force later in 2023.

The new measure does not yet cover items found in supermarkets or shops. The government has said it would address those by other means.