Petition proposes 5p charge on plastic straws

A petition calling on the UK government to add a 5p charge to plastic straws has reached almost 10,000 signatures.

A campaign group is proposing a 5p charge on single-use plastic straws

The petition launched by campaign group Final Straw in November last year, proposes the addition of a 5p charge on single-use plastic straws, similar to the charge imposed on plastic carrier bags in the UK.

If the petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the British government will have to respond to the petition, and if its hits 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in parliament.

The petition states: “Over 550 million plastic straws are used every day in the US and UK. Most plastic straws are not recycled.

“Plastic waste poses an enormous threat to wildlife, is a danger to human health and costs millions to the UK economy. A 5p charge on single-use plastic straws will reduce our plastic waste.”

A post on the group’s Facebook page said: “Similar to the bag charge, it would force servers to only provide straws upon request and dramatically reduce use.

“The money from the charge could raise vital funds for charities and beach clean up events. While we’d love to see an outright ban, this legislation is the first step to achieving that goal and making change happen quickly.”

The campaign follows a number of firms who have already moved to tackle plastic straw use.

Drinks giants Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Bacardi have also pledged to stop using plastic straws and stirrers across their businesses, while drinks industry group the Scotch Whisky Association has also pledged its support as part of its Environmental Strategy.

In September last year, British pub chain JD Wetherspoon announced its decision to stop using plastic straws across its 900 pubs.

Furthermore, several campaigns have already been launched this year to tackle plastic straw usage, including the Straw Wars in London.