Takeaways and restaurants in Wales now banned from supplying plastic plates and cutlery

• ITV Wales reporter Hamish Auskerry visited a school in Abergavenny to see what they're doing to help stop pollution and move Wales closer to its net zero target.

People in Wales will no longer be able to eat using plastic plates or cutlery when dining at restaurants or takeaway premises.

It is after the Welsh Government made it illegal for businesses to supply or sell some single-use plastic products in a bid to tackle plastic waste.

The first phase of the ban, which came into force on Monday 30 October, is part of the Environmental Protection Act - which the Welsh Government says will provide it with the tools to 'reduce our dependency of single-use plastics as quickly as possible'.

The move follows a similar ban introduced in England at the start of the month where local authorities are required to enforce it through their trading standards teams.

Phase One: The items banned on the single-use plastics list in Wales:

• Single-use plastic plates – this includes paper plates with a laminated plastic surface

• Single-use plastic cutlery – for example forks, spoons, knives   

• Single-use plastic drinks stirrers  

• Cups made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene

• Takeaway food containers made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene

• Single-use plastic balloon sticks

• Single-use plastic-stemmed cotton buds

• Single-use plastic drinking straws – with exemptions so people who need them to eat and drink safely and independently can continue to have them

The Welsh Government said it plans to introduce Phase Two of the ban on single-use plastics by Spring 2026.

That will include a ban on polystyrene lids for cups and take away food containers, carrier bags and oxo-degradable plastic products.

Derek Walker, Wales' Future Generations Commissioner, said the move is a step in the right direction.

"We know that single-use plastics have all sorts of impacts," he explained.

"We see it in our litter, we see micro-plastics getting into our seas and our rivers and we know it affects the long-term health of people.

"We need to see action in all other areas to reduce packaging, we need to see action to replace plastics with things like plastics made from seaweed which is biodegradable."

However for Dr Llyr ap Gareth from the Federation of Small Businesses, he thinks there could have been better communication from the Welsh Government in making the businesses his organisation represents aware of the changes.

He said: "There's been a lack of information around that going straight to businesses. It's an important thing, it's very much supported by the business community or the people we've spoken to but I think people are confused about what's coming, what it involves for them and how it affects their business and what changes do they need to make."

For politicians in Cathays Park, they say the scale of the climate and environmental emergency is too pressing to ignore and it is committed to changing people's habits and making services more sustainable.

Part of the plan is to also encourage people here to take greater responsibility for the disposing of single-use plastics.

The Welsh Government said one way that can be achieved is through its new drinks container return scheme, which it is planning to introduce in 2025.

The Climate Change Minister Julie James has said: "This is another step forward in moving Wales to a more circular economy where less waste is generated and resources are reused and recycled rather than ending up in landfill.

"Consultation has shown huge public support for the scheme’s introduction and we know people in Wales want to play their part in improving our already world-leading recycling rates.

"Wales is the third best country in the world for recycling but we know we can and need to go further in tackling the waste that affects our cities and towns and blights our countryside and reducing our emissions."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...