Scotland Bans Plastic Cotton Buds
New laws in Scotland are now banning the sale and manufacture of plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
New regulations have come into force after high concerns about the number of cotton-buds being flushed down the toilets and the number of cotton-buds washing up on beaches. It is prohibiting the manufacture and sale of the items. A ban on the sale and manufacture of plastic micro beads is already in place, having been introduced in June 2018.
Plastic straw, stirrers and cotton buds will be banned in England from April 2020, the then-environment secretary Michael Gove announced. He confirmed in May the ban on the supply of the items after discovering “overwhelming” public support for the move.
The ban will include exemptions so that those with medical needs or a disability will still have access to plastic straw, the government said.
Plastic is suffocating our seas and devastating our wildlife with millions of birds, fish and mammals dying each year because of the plastic in our oceans. Plastics are also finding their way into the food we eat and the water we drink so saving our oceans will require further ambitious action from governments, industry and consumers.
