All plastic cotton buds banned after successful #switchthestick campaign
british government bans plastic cotton buds
We are today celebrating the news that the British Government is completely banning plastic cotton buds, stirrers and straws. The move has been in the offing for more than a year after the agreement of the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive and follows years of campaigning by City to Sea including the successful #SwitchTheStick campaign.
#switchthestick campaign
The #SwitchTheStick campaign saw all major UK retailers announcing they would ‘Switch the Stick’ and only sell biodegradable paper stem buds. A move which stopped over 478 tonnes of single-use, non-recyclable plastic being produced each year.
Our founder Natalie Fee welcomed the news saying, “Since our successful #SwitchtheStick campaign in 2017 we’ve seen over 400 tonnes of plastic stopped at source each year through all major retailers having switched to paper stem buds. This ban will now mop up all the smaller retailers and pharmacies who still need to make the switch and hopefully make flushed cotton buds on UK riverbanks and beaches a thing of the past!”
only the first step
Natalie also warned however that this is just the first step and that there is still a lot more to do. She continued, “Without sounding too much like a stick in the mud, today’s announcement also highlights how much more there is to do. We desperately need government to adopt a Deposit Return Scheme on all plastic bottles, we need them to commit to not send period products filled with plastics to schools and they need to be clear about how they plan to implement the EU’s Directive that demands countries ban other items including cutlery, plates, sticks for balloons, as well as cups, food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene and on all products made of oxo-degradable plastics.”
Take Action:
Read more:
- Read more about the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive
- Read more about the need for a Deposit Return Scheme
- Read more about City to Sea’s Plastic Free Periods Campaign
