England Bans Plastic Straws, Drink Stirrers

U.K. Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced that England will ban plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic cotton swabs beginning in April 2020. The ban includes an exemption for those who use straws for medical needs, and registered pharmacies will be allowed to administer plastic straws. The announcement also indicates that restaurants and bars “will not be able to display plastic straws or automatically hand them out, but they will be able to provide them on request.”

“Today’s announcement follows the success of the government’s world-leading ban on microbeads and 5p charge on single-use plastic bags, which has seen distribution by major supermarkets drop by 86%,” the announcement states.