The Environmental Protection Regulations 2023

The Draft Environmental Protection (Plastic Plates etc. and Polystyrene Containers etc.) (England) Regulations 2023  is to restrict the supply of single-use plastic plates, bowls and trays and to ban the supply of single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drink containers, including cups. This statutory instrument applies to England only as environmental protection is a devolved matter.

I asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Rebecca Pow “Will she say whether local authorities, which are broadly the enforcers of the measure, will be given extra resources?”.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answered “There has been full consultation on the funding that will be required for trading standards departments to carry out the duties that will fall to them. It amounts to approximately £660,000 a year over three years, and local authorities have agreed that that is an adequate sum. There was much negotiation with them to make sure that the funding was in the right ballpark, but such measures are always reviewed three to five years after implementation to see how they are working and whether any tweaks are needed. I can therefore assure the right hon. Lady that resources have been discussed and clarified”.

I am pleased the Minister confirmed that local authorities will be provided with extra funding to enforce these regulations which will come into effect in October later this year.