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Poll shows majority of Brits want plastic lids banned

11th May 2021 - 08:38
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More than seven-in-ten (73%) agree that single-use plastic lids should be banned in the UK and 87% believe they are a ‘significant’ source of environmental pollution.

The survey on 2,079 UK adults, commissioned by ButterflyCup, comes after the UK Government banned plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds but not plastic lids.

Brits throw away more than 5,000 takeaway cups every minute, which adds up to 2.5 billion every year with only one in 400 being recycled.

Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, said: “The UK produces an ocean of single-use plastic lids every year which, even if they make it to a recycling centre, are too small and light to be processed.

“The majority live on for centuries in landfill or as litter, causing untold damage to our environment and marine life. It is time policymakers take seriously the risk they pose to our natural world.” 

Canada has announced plans to ban single-use plastic products from 2022 while France plans to ban plastic cup lids from 2021.

According to the poll, 63% of Brits said they would be willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly alternative to the plastic lid. This is an increase on a similar poll in 2019 that found just half of consumers were willing to pay more for eco-friendly packaging

In December, ButterflyCup launched the UK’s first plastic-free lidless disposable coffee cup.  

Written by
Edward Waddell