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23rd May 2019
02:35pm BST


Use of plastic stemmed cotton buds will also continue for medical and scientific purposes and only plastic stirrers will be banned completely.
The ban, which is called as such in the government press release but for straws and cotton buds appears is evidently more a harsher restriction of their availability, comes after a government consultation found that more than 80% of respondents back a ban on the distribution and sale of plastic straws.
Additionally, 90 percent backed a ban on drinks stirrers and 89 percent a ban on cotton buds.
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."
This comes after the EU announced a continent wide ban on straws, stirrers, cotton buds, and all other single-use plastic by 2021.
The move hopes to encourage more recycling and the use of more sustainable products across the EU.Explore more on these topics: