Single-use plastic plates and cutlery to be banned from October in England

Greenpeace says ban is ‘nibbling around edges of a giant problem’

Plastics and other detritus line the shore of the Thames estuary on Friday at Cliffe, north Kent (Getty Images)

Single-use plastic plates, cutlery and trays are set to be banned in England from October in a shake-up that will force retailers and takeaway vendors to seek recyclable alternatives.

The Department for the Environment (Defra) said the ban will also cover certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers as the government seeks to curb the “devastating” impact of plastic on the environment.

England uses around 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery per year, with only 10 per cent recycled.