For all businesses that use take away or single use plastics the guidance issued by the Welsh Assembly has come into play
The below is extracted from . The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act | GOV.WALES
Phase 1 of the ban of single-use plastic products on 30 October 2023 and for it to include:
- Single-use plastic plates – this includes paper plates with a laminated plastic surface
- Single-use plastic cutlery – for example forks, spoons, knives
- Single-use plastic drinks stirrers
- Cups made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene.
- Takeaway food containers made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene
- Single-use plastic balloon sticks
- Single-use plastic-stemmed Cotton buds
- Single-use plastic drinking straws – with exemptions so people who need them to eat and drink safely and independently can continue to have them
Who is affected by the changes
When a ban comes into force it will be against the law to sell or give for free any of the banned products to a consumer in Wales (unless exemptions apply).
The offence of supplying a prohibited single-use plastic product can be committed by:
- a business
- an organisation such as a company or government body
- a partnership
- a person acting as a sole trader
- a public service provider
- a charity, club, syndicate or voluntary organisation.
When the bans come into force
When the bans come into force businesses will have to:
- Stop providing customers with banned single-use plastic products.
- Tell their staff about these changes.
Once the bans are in force if businesses still have banned products they may want to speak to suppliers, your local council or trade association about how to recycle it.
There are many alternatives to single-use plastics products already on the market. Our draft guidance has more details on alternatives.
Why we are making these changes
Many people in Wales are already taking action to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics, by changing habits and making products and services more sustainable. As a government we are committed to supporting their efforts.
The scale of the climate and ecological emergencies means the health of our environment must be prioritised.
This Act will give us even more tools to reduce our dependency on single-use plastics as quickly as possible. It is one of a range of actions Welsh Government is taking to encourage the shift away from single-use plastic products and to encourage people to take greater responsibility for their disposal. For example, we will also be introducing a Deposit Return Scheme by 2025 and setting up a new Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for packaging. Introducing this new law has contributed to our wider ambitions set out in our Circular Economy Strategy, Beyond Recycling and our draft Litter and Fly-tipping Prevention Plan.
This is an opportunity for people in Wales to think differently about how they go about their daily lives, choosing reusable products and only using single-use items where absolutely necessary. This could help save money, as well as benefiting the environment.
Exemptions
We understand that in some cases there will need to be exceptions to the bans. Therefore, the Act allows the bans not to be followed in certain situations. There is more information about exceptions in our draft guidance.
Help for businesses
We continue to work closely with businesses, manufacturers, public sector groups, communities and groups representing people with protected characteristics to ensure everyone understands what the bans mean for them.
Contact us
Support and Advice
If you require further support or advice on these bans, please contact us at:
E-mail:
singleuseplastic@gov.wales
