President Donald Trump in a new executive order inked on Monday encouraged the U.S. government and consumers to purchase plastic drinking straws at a time when several countries have issued a ban on non-biodegradable single-use plastics.
The new order backtracks on Biden administration’s efforts to lower consumption of such plastics, which damage ecosystems and contaminate food supplies, as well as a policy to end the use of all single-use plastic products on federal lands by 2032.
Following is the list of countries that have imposed bans on single-use plastics after the United Nations on World Environment Day in 2018, called for “biggest-ever worldwide cleanup” of plastic pollution:
Country Date of ban Related articles
announcement
Nigeria June 26, 2024 Nigeria’s ban on
single-use
plastics, which was
announced and
started with
government offices
last year, expanded
nation-wide in
January.
India July 1, 2022 India imposed a ban
on single-use
plastics on items
ranging from straws
to cigarette packs.
Chile February 2022 Chile phases out
use of plastic
cups, straws,
takeout container,
and more after a
law regulating the
single-use plastics
enters into force.
France 2021 France banned
plastic straws,
cups, cutlery and
styrofoam takeaway
boxes from 2021.
England October 1, 2020 England’s ban on
supplying plastic
straws, stirrers
and plastic-stemmed
cotton buds was
imposed in 2020.
Kenya June 2020 Kenya imposed
toughest laws
against plastic
bags in 2017. It
announced ban on
plastic items
including straws,
as per Associated
Press.
Bangladesh January 2020 Bangladesh’s High
Court ordered the
government to ban
single-use plastics
in coastal areas,
hotels and
restaurants.
China 2020 China unveiled its
plans to ban use of
plastics, including
single-use straws
by the end of 2020,
according to BBC
News.
Vancouver, Canada November 28, 2019 Vancouver was one
of the first major
Canadian cities to
enact a
wide-reaching ban
on the use of
plastic straws and
bags. It was
imposed from April
2020.
Seattle, Los 2019 Some cities in the
Angeles, Miami, New U.S. had proposed
York City, United or enacted plastic
States straw bans and
restrictions.
Tanzania July 2019 Tanzania banned
single-use
plastics.
Taiwan July 2019 Taiwan initiated
its first stage ban
on single-use
plastic straws, as
per Taiwan News.
Queensland, July 2018 A few Australian
Australia states including
Queensland banned
the use of
single-use plastics
which further added
plastic straws,
according to
Queensland
government’s
website.
Source: Media reports
(Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
