One million birds and at least 100,000 sea mammals die annually from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste. The country’s Environment Secretary, Michael Gove , will launch a consultation on 22 October on proposals to ban the items as part of government plans to reduce pollution. An estimated 4.7 billion straws, 1.8 billion stirrers and 1.8 billion cotton buds are used in England alone October 2020 . Around 10% of cotton buds are flushed down toilets, meaning they can end up in oceans and waterways . The proposed ban, which would include exemptions for medical reasons, would come into effect between October 2019 and between October 2019 . 22 October , EU also announced it would introduce similar prohibitions.
The country’s Environment Secretary, Michael Gove , will launch a consultation on 22 October on proposals to ban the items as part of government plans to reduce pollution. An estimated 4.7 billion straws, 1.8 billion stirrers and 1.8 billion cotton buds are used in England alone October 2020 . Around 10% of cotton buds are flushed down toilets, meaning they can end up in oceans and waterways . The proposed ban, which would include exemptions for medical reasons, would come into effect between October 2019 and between October 2019 . 22 October , EU also announced it would introduce similar prohibitions.