United Kingdom

In 2015, the United Kingdom introduced a plastic bag charge that has taken around 9 billion plastic bags out of circulation. The levy was introduced to help reduce litter, protect wildlife and influence consumer behaviour after the number of carrier bags given out by the seven major supermarkets rose by 200 million in 2014. In January 2018, a government ban on plastic microbeads went into effect with the first phase preventing the plastics from being used in the making of cosmetics and cleaning products, followed by a complete sales ban in June that year. From April 2020, the United Kingdom plans to ban plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, and the government has also been consulting experts on the possibility of introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers. On the international stage, the UK is urging countries around the world to join a call to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030, and has brought Commonwealth nations together through the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance to pledge further action to eliminate avoidable plastic waste. In 2019, the British government also extended its support for UNEP’s Tide Turners Plastic Challenge Badge, a global Scout and Girl Guides badge that encourages young people to take action to reduce plastic waste in their own lives and in their communities. After successfully engaging more than 30,000 Girl Guides and Scouts in West Africa, the badge will be extended to a further 15 countries. Overseen by UNEP,, the badge was developed with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization and partners at the World Organization of the Scout Movement, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.