Petition · past parliament
UK to join France and ban disposable plastic cups, cutlery and plates by 2020.
Rejected
18 signatures
What the petition asks
Plastic can take 5,000 years to decompose - long after we are dead and forgotten our plastic waste will still be hanging around. UK needs to join France and pass a new law to ensure all plastic cups, cutlery and plates are replaced by compostable and biologically-sourced materials by 2020.
According to the British Plastic Federation (BPF) the UK uses 5 million tonnes of plastic per year and estimates that 29% is recovered or recycled. With a recycling target of 57% by 2020 the UK needs to look for ways to reduce its plastic consumption. The UK needs to join with France in banning disposable cups, plates and cutlery to stimulate supply of sustainable plastic alternatives and encourage other countries to follow suit.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 6 Dec 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 8 Dec 2016 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
18
Status
Rejected
Rejected
8 Dec 2016
Follow this petition
Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.
Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.