|
|
On the 12th of August 2022, Scotland’s single-use plastic ban quietly came into force. Now I say quietly because many businesses have still not heard about the ban, let alone know if it impacts their operations.
The reason the ban hasn’t been everywhere in the news is that it actually has been around for a long time. The single-use plastics draft regulations were originally published by the Scottish Government in March 2021, after a twelve-week public consultation. The regulations were published in November 2021 and came into force on the 1st of June 2022 but were subject to the UK Internal Market Act, which therefore excluded any items which were imported from or produced in another part of the UK, outside Scotland.
Following repeated calls from Scottish Ministers, the UK Government ultimately signed a statutory instrument last month, which now excludes the regulations from the UK Internal Market Act, making the ban fully effective in Scotland for all items no matter where they are imported from or produced.
What this all means really is that from the 12th of August 2022, in Scotland, the following single-use plastic items are fully banned and therefore cannot be commercially manufactured or supplied – although there are some exemptions (see below).
The ban means it is unlawful to manufacture and supply any of the following single-use plastic items:
· Cutlery and other similar utensils
· Food boxes made of expanded polystyrene
· Plates
· Stirrers
· Cups and lids made of expanded polystyrene
The regulations also make it unlawful to supply these items, however, these are subject to exemptions which allow them to be supplied in particular settings and circumstances:
· Plastic straws
The supply of single-use straws is allowed in a select number of environments, where they are essential. This includes care homes, prisons, schools and other childcare settings. The regulations also provide an exemption where single-use plastic straws are used as medical devices, for medical purposes and in personal care settings.
· Plastic balloon sticks
The supply of single-use plastic balloon sticks is allowed where they are being used for industrial or professional use and not handed out to customers.
Restrictions apply to both online and in-person sales, whether they are free or paid for.
This is the first in what we expect to see many new regulations coming soon with the aim of tackling our throwaway culture and moving towards NetZero. For this reason, I would encourage businesses to go one step further than the legislation and look at their single-use items and waste as a whole.
If you are a Stirling-based business and need help finding out what items are included within the restrictions or help sourcing alternatives, I can help. Get in touch to book a FREE one-to-one appointment with me at stirling@bgateway.com.
