UK bans plastic drinking straws, cocktail stirrers

Single-use plastic drinking straws, cocktail stirrers and cotton buds are now banned in Britain under a new law that came into force Thursday, reported Xinhua.

To fight against plastic waste, the ban is "the next step in our battle against plastic pollution and our pledge to protect our ocean and the environment for future generations," British Environment Secretary George Eustice said.

Every year in England people use some 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds, according to official data.

"It is estimated that between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean globally every year, which has produced many scenes of marine wildlife being injured or killed by plastic waste," said the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.