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Single-use plastics ban: What the UK population thinks

The strongest support for the ban comes from higher age brackets; in total, 80 percent of 25-49 year olds back the ban.

The world's landfills, like this one in Chennai, India, are a major source of planet-warming emissions
The world's landfills, like this one in Chennai, India, are a major source of planet-warming emissions - Copyright AFP Richard A. Brooks
The world's landfills, like this one in Chennai, India, are a major source of planet-warming emissions - Copyright AFP Richard A. Brooks

With news announced by the UK government concerning an extension of the ban on single-use plastics in England, Position Digital Founder and CEO, Sean Begg Flint has considered the ban from his point of view as a UK-based business owner.

To address the growing plastic problem, takeaways, restaurants and cafes must stop using single-use plastic cutlery, plates and bowls. Environmentalists have welcomed the move, although they note that the measures could have gone much further.

While most welcome the change, the expectation is that businesses will start preparing well in advance and it makes good business sense to “embrace the change”, Begg tells Digital Journal.

Despite most people welcoming the change, a survey finds that 11 percent of the UK population are in opposition to the upcoming ban on single-use plastics. Assessing data drawn from YouGov, 8 percent of British adults stated being “somewhat opposed” to the Government’s decision to ban single-use products such as plastic plates, bowls, cutlery and more throughout England. This is a change that will come into effect from October of this year. A further 3 percent stated “strong” opposition to the ban.

The strongest support for the ban comes from higher age brackets; in total, 80 percent of 25-49 year olds back the ban, along with 84 percent of 50-64 year olds. The strongest support comes from 85 percent of people aged 65 years and over.

At the lower end, only 68 percent of young adults aged 18-24 support the Government’s decision. This age grouping also voices the strongest resistance to the ban on single-use plastics, with 17 percent saying they oppose it “somewhat” or “strongly”, and a further 15 percent stating that they “don’t know” if they support the ban or not. This is perhaps a worrying lack of understanding of the environmental concerns.


When asked “Do you support or oppose the banning of single use plastic items like cutlery, plates and trays?”, the poll found:

Outcome18-2425-4950-6465+All UK Adults
Strongly support27%47%53%53%48%
Somewhat support41%33%31%32%33%
Somewhat oppose11%8%7%8%8%
Strongly oppose6%3%3%2%3%
Don’t know15%9%6%4%8%

From a commercial perspective, British businesses will play a strong role in the effectiveness of the ban moving forward; according to a UK-based waste removal company, the UK’s businesses generate approximately 25 percent of all waste produced in the country.

Commenting on the findings, Begg states: “In recent months, we have seen an uptick in enquiries in the ethical and purpose-led space. More and more environmentally-conscious brands are popping up and we predict this trend to continue into 2023. The effectiveness of Rishi’s Sunak’s new policy remains to be seen, but one thing is certain; companies are responding to the ban – and will hopefully continue to do so – by innovating exciting new products in the green space.”

In addition, analysis of Google Trends data for the UK shows a gradual increase in searches for both paper and reusable cups, while searches for “plastic cups” have been in decline since mid-2022. Over the course of 2022, searches for paper cups rose above those for plastic cups – on three separate occasions – for the first time ever.

Here Begg adds: “I’m not surprised by the amount of support for this policy. Banning plastics will have a direct impact on its usage and it is exciting to see these developments unfold. One hopes that these changes spell good things for the country’s impact on the environment moving forward.”

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Written By

Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

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