Nottinghamshire businesses are being reminded that ban on single-use plastics will start in October and Nottinghamshire County Council Tradings Standards advises business owners to think about alternatives

Businesses are being reminded that the ban on single-use plastics is just a few days away.

From October 1, businesses in Nottinghamshire will not be allowed to supply, sell or offer certain single-use plastic items.

The ban covers a range of plastic items including cutlery, plates, bowls, balloon sticks and certain styles of polystyrene cups and food containers that are used to supply ready-to-eat food.

There are some exemptions to the ban, depending on the item.

The law has been introduced to try and tackle plastic pollution and avoidable littering. Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and inflicts serious damage to our environment.

Nottinghamshire County Council Trading Standards is advising businesses, such as sandwich shops, takeaways and other retailers, to think about sourcing alternatives.

Councillor Tom Smith, deputy cabinet member for communities said: “We fully support the ban on single-use plastics, as it’s vital that we reduce the amount of plastic that ends up polluting rivers and seas and harming our wildlife.

“Our Trading Standards officers are here to support Nottinghamshire firms so we would encourage local businesses to get in touch and make use of the free specialist support that we are offering to help them meet the new rules around single-use plastics.”

Around the world, over one million birds die every year from eating or getting tangled in plastic waste.

Plastic pollution is also a source of greenhouse gas emissions, from the production and manufacture of the plastic itself to the way it is disposed of.

In England, almost three billion items of single-use cutlery and 721 million single-use plates are estimated to be used every year, and it is believed that only 10% of these are recycled.

It is expected that banning these items will have a significant impact on reducing plastic waste and littering in England.

Business owners unsure of how the new rules will affect them can apply for up to ten hours of free bespoke advice and support from Trading Standards officers at Nottinghamshire County Council.

Businesses can find out more and apply for free support by completing – Business Advice Request Form – on the Nottinghamshire Trading Standards website.