The country ’s Environment Secretary , Michael Gove , will launch a consultation on 22 October on proposals to ban the items as part of his plans to reduce pollution . “Our precious oceans and the wildlife within need urgent protection from the devastation throwaway plastic items can cause,” Gove will say. An estimated 4.7 billion straws , 316 million stirrers and 1.8 billion cotton buds are used in England alone each year . Around 10 % of cotton buds are flushed down drains , meaning they can end up in oceans and rivers . The proposed ban , which would include use for medical reasons , would come into effect between October 2019 and October 2020 . Earlier this year , the European Union 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 his plans to reduce pollution . An estimated 4.7 billion straws , 316 million stirrers and 1.8 billion cotton buds are used in England alone each year . Around 10 % of cotton buds are flushed down drains , meaning they can end up in oceans and rivers . The proposed ban , which would include use for medical reasons , would come into effect between October 2019 and October 2020 . Earlier this year , the European Union also announced it would introduce similar prohibitions .