Health & EnvironmentPosted on 09.04.2020

Plastic straws are banned

It’s news that has been coming for a while, and now the government has banned the supply of plastic straws in restaurants and takeaways. You’ll need to be aware of how it affects your business so you don’t end up breaking the law.

The ban on the supply of single-use plastic straws came into effect in April 2020.

The law now says that the supply of single-use plastic straws is ILLEGAL; unless you are a catering establishment supplying food and drink

• for immediate consumption
• which doesn’t require further preparation

AND the customer requests a plastic straw.

So, a customer dining-in or collecting their meal may request a plastic straw from you, but they should not be allowed to help themselves to one.

Do not send out plastic straws with your delivery orders (except where they are already a part of the packaging on, for example, a soft drink carton).

Non-plastic alternatives made of recyclable or sustainable materials are available on the Just Eat Shop here

Read the government press release here
You can read the new laws in full here

Did you know?
In England, it is estimated that annually we use 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds. An estimated 10% of cotton buds are flushed down toilets and end up in waterways and oceans.
(Source: Dept. of Environment Food and Rural Affairs)

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:
"Urgent and decisive action is needed to tackle plastic pollution and protect our environment. These items are often used for just a few minutes but take hundreds of years to break down, ending up in our seas and oceans and harming precious marine life.

So today I am taking action to turn the tide on plastic pollution, and ensure we leave our environment in a better state for future generations.”