Gove hints at plastic straw ban
Michael Gove has suggested that plastic straws could be banned from bars and restaurants after Britain leaves the EU.
Defra secretary Michael Gove has suggested that plastic straws could be banned from bars and restaurants after Britain leaves the EU.
When The Telegraph asked Mr Gove if he would ban the use of plastic straws, he said: “Watch this space.”
“If it is bad, then banning it is a good thing. But we have to take a balanced approach towards the EU,” he added. “There are some good things about the EU but one of the things about being inside the EU is that there are some steps that we might want to take environmentally but can’t yet.”
His comments sparked a row on social media over who is making more progress in cracking down on plastic waste. European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans said on Twitter:
“.@michaelgove One step ahead of you. EU legislation on single-use plastics coming before the summer. Maybe you can along with us? #EUDoesntSuck #StrongerTogether #PlasticsStrategy.”
Making light of the claim, Mr Gove declared that there had been “no specific proposal - as yet - from the EU to ban straws.”
“The EU has promised ‘analytical work’ on the ‘scope of a legislative initiative’ to ‘reduce’ single-use plastics,” he wrote. “Also waiting for the EU to catch up on microbeads - UK’s ban is 1st in Europe #greenbrexit”.
In January, Theresa May announced new measures to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. The new measures include an extension to the 5p carrier bag charge and new funding into plastics innovation.
An estimated 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since the 1950s. Without urgent action to reduce this demand, the government predicts that this is likely to rise to 34 billion tonnes by 2050.
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