LONDON – A ban on plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds took effect Thursday in England after a six-month delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic.Retailers are barred from selling or supplying the disposable items as part of efforts to cut down on pollution from single-use plastics.
There are exemptions for people with disabilities or medical conditions.The ban was supposed to take effect in April but was put on hold when the country went into a lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus.The government has estimated that people in England use 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds a year.Environmental activists welcomed the move but said it did not go far.