WRAP Name 8 Plastic Products on Their ‘Should Be Banned’ Hit List

WRAP Name 8 Plastic Products on Their ‘Should Be Banned’ Hit List

A report released by the waste reduction charity WRAP says there are eight plastic items that should be removed from shelves by the end of next year as part of the UK pledge to reduce the usage of single-use plastic.

The eight items aren’t the only things that WRAP say should be avoided, reused, redesigned, recycled, or composted; another 19 items made it on to a second list that it says should be ‘actively investigated.’

WRAP’S hit list

The eight items that WRAP say should be eliminated are:

Disposable plastic cutlery

All polystyrene packaging

Cotton buds with plastic stems

Plastic stirrers

Plastic straws

Oxo-degradable that break down into microplastics

PVC packaging

Disposable plastic plates and bowls

The 19 items WRAP say should be investigated are:

Plastic bags, including carrier bags and fresh produce bags

Plastic film packaging e.g. crisps, fruit and vegetable film packaging

Multi-layer non-recyclable plastics e.g. pouches

Multi-pack rings for canned drinks

Multi-veg/fruit net bags e.g. for citrus fruits and some vegetables

Multi-buy bulk wrapping e.g. multi pack crisps packaging and tins

PVC cling film

Bottle tops/caps

Single-use drinks bottles

Non-recyclable coloured plastics (including carbon black plastic e.g. some ready-meal trays, premium meat trays, some prepacked fish trays)

Fruit and veg punnets/trays e.g. grape, tomato, mushroom etc.

Internal plastic trays e.g. trays for premium biscuits

Disposable plastic cups

Fruit/veg stickers

Plastic cup lids (from hot beverage cups)

Plastic coffee pods

Milk and salad dressing jiggers, single serving pots and sachets e.g. used in on-the-go salads, milk sticks, condiments, cosmetics and samples

Tear off tamper evident strips on containers

Images courtesy of WRAP UK

‘Plastic Pact’ businesses need to act first

WRAP say that the companies who have signed up to the UK Plastic Pact should be the first to act to address public concerns about the impact of plastic packaging on the environment. It added that it needs to be considered whether plastic is the right material for the packaging, if packaging is needed at all. Where plastic is needed, it should be recyclable.

WRAP’S report comes in advance of the UK Government’s ban on straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds and the EU Single Use Plastic Directive, which is set to ban polystyrene food containers and single-use plastic cutlery and plates.

As part of the Plastic Pact, some of the biggest food and drinks brands, supermarkets, manufacturers, retailers and plastic re-processors have agreed to make 100% of their plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. They have also agreed that there will be an average of 30% recycled content in their plastic packaging by 2025. It’s thought that the businesses who’ve signed up to the pact are responsible for more than 80% of the plastic packaging that’s sold in British supermarkets.