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Parliament to introduce compostable cutlery to slash plastic waste

From October Parliament will also stop selling bottled water, immediately removing 120,000 plastic bottles from circulation annually.

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House of Commons

Parliament is set to start using compostable cutlery, coffee cups, drinking straws and a range of other items in a bid to rid the estate of single-use plastics.

New waste bins will be introduced to capture used compostable items, which will then be sent to a specialist waste facility.

Compostable products are just one of several measures announced earlier this year with the aim of eliminating single-use avoidable plastics from the Commons and the Lords by 2019.

The first phase of the plan saw the introduction of reusable coffee cups in June this year, with more than a thousand cups already sold to MPs, peers, visitors, and staff working in Parliament.

From October, Parliament will also stop selling bottled water, immediately removing 120,000 plastic bottles from circulation annually.

Plastic condiment sachets have also been identified as unnecessary and will be replaced with a sustainable alternative.

Tory MP Sir Paul Beresford, who chairs the Commons administration committee which recommended the proposals, said: “I am delighted to see significant progress being made in tackling single use avoidable plastics in Parliament.

“The measures we are introducing are ambitious and wide ranging, covering not just coffee cups but an array of items from plastic bottles, our new compostable products, to condiment sachets and stationery.

“Our aim is to remove, as far as possible, disposable plastic items from the Parliamentary Estate. Our challenging targets reflect Parliament’s commitment to leading the way in environmental sustainability.”

Lord Laming, chairman of the House of Lords Services Committee, which agreed the proposals for the Lords, added: “Parliament has acknowledged the damaging effect single-use disposable plastic is having on the environment and that it must lead the way in valuing our environmental future over convenience.

“This review has taken a holistic approach to plastic reduction, considering everything from disposable cutlery to packaging.”

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