Takeaway lovers face chaos over plastic ban outlets know nothing about

Takeaway customers face chaos over new rules coming in on Sunday as owners say they know nothing about new plastic packaging ban while councils cannot afford to enforce £200 fines

• Single-use plastic cutlery, polystyrene cups and containers will be banned 

Takeaway lovers face a weekend of chaos over a new ban on single-use plastic packaging which food outlet owners say they know nothing about. 

From Sunday, takeaways and restaurants in England could be fined £200 if they hand out single-use plastic cutlery, polystyrene cups and containers.

The crackdown is part of new series of Government restrictions, which will be enforced locally by councils through their trading standards teams. 

But the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, warned not enough businesses and individuals were aware of the change – and that the ban will be too costly for cash-strapped local councils to enforce. 

While Leeds-based takeaway owner Herdy Ibrahim claimed to have been left in the dark about the imminent change. ‘To be honest with you I haven’t heard anything about it,’ he told the BBC.

Takeaway owner Herdy Ibrahim in Leeds claimed to have been left in the dark about the imminent change

From Sunday, takeaways and restaurants in England could be fined £200 if they hand out single-use plastic cutlery, polystyrene cups and containers – like the one pictured, here 

In September, the British Independent Retail Association, which works with more than 6,000 independent businesses, warned some firms were unaware of, or unprepared for, the ban. 

Meanwhile, the LGA raised fears councils simply do not have enough cash to oversee the new measures. 

The ban at a glance 

Will customers get fined? No – only food outlets will be punished.

Who will enforce the ban? Local councils and their trading standards teams. 

How much are the fines? £200 

Why is the ban being introduced? It’s part of the UK Government’s pledge to tackle plastic pollution and eliminate plastic waste by 2042. 

‘Councils are sure that businesses want to comply with these new regulations and keep plastic waste to a minimum,’ Councillor Darren Rodwell, environment spokesman for the LGA, said: ‘However, we are concerned that some local businesses and consumers are not aware of the impending ban on these materials and would encourage everyone to take a look at the materials impacted by it.’

A government spokesman insisted councils would receive funding to help with enforcing the ban and was working to ensure Trading Standards officers were ready. 

But the LGA said the ban risks creating heavy costs on councils enforcing the new measures at a time when trading standards teams are already facing resource and workforce pressures, it added.

About 1.1 billion single-use plates and more than four billion pieces of plastic cutlery are used in England every year, but only 10 per cent are recycled, according to government figures.

Under the scheme, eateries will no longer be allowed to use plastic plates or cutlery, including biodegradable, compostable and recycled products.

Single-use balloon sticks and polystyrene cups and containers are also banned.

But single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls that are used to package food, such as takeaway salads, will not be included in the crackdown. 

Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down, harms waterways and is a source of greenhouse gases. 

The Government has vowed to eliminate plastic waste by 2042. But it has been slammed over repeated delays to a scheme to make retailers pay for the costs of recycling.

It has also delayed a scheme that would have brought in a deposit of around 20p on plastic bottles to encourage recycling

READ MORE: Take a break! The eco-friendly coffee cup that turns into a biscuit you can have after your caffeine fix

Environmental campaigners have claimed the latest ban does not go far enough to cut plastic waste. 

Anna Diski, plastics campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: ‘Legislating token bans on a few single-use plastic items every few years… [is] completely inadequate to the scale of the problem.

‘Instead of this piecemeal approach, the government needs to address the problem at source and roll out a serious strategy to cut how much plastic is being produced.’

Local authorities across England have been publishing reminders to businesses, like takeaways, sandwich bars, care homes and retailers on their websites, warning them that they need to source and introduce alternatives.

The LGA is now calling on the Government to go further and introduce the new extended producer responsibility to incentivise producers and companies to reduce waste and increase recyclable packaging.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey announced the ban in January as part of efforts to reduce the amount of non-recyclable material ending up in bins followed by going to landfill or incineration.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: ‘This new ban is the next big step in our mission to crack down on harmful plastic waste.

‘It will protect the environment and help to cut litter – stopping plastic pollution dirtying our streets and threatening our wildlife.

‘This builds on world-leading bans on straws, stirrers and cotton buds, our single-use carrier bag charge and our plastic packaging tax, helping us on our journey to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.’

The crackdown is part of new series of Government restrictions, which will be enforced by locally by councils through their trading standards teams

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