Single-use plastic set to be banned for Oxford street traders

Single-use plastic will be banned in the city from April if the full council votes in favour of the ban in March

City streets traders in Oxford will be stopped from using single-use plastics in the spring ahead of a national ban in October.

The city council is banning vendors from using a variety of plastic utensils, cups and containers from April.

The Green Party, which spearheaded the plan, said the move had public backing.

The government says England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery a year.

The council's licensing committee voted for the ban at a meeting on Monday following a year-long campaign by members of the Greens and Liberal Democrats.

Julie Kleeman sells Tibetan dumplings and curries in compostable and recyclable containers

Its decision is set to be ratified by full council in March.

"We know that single-use plastics have a massive environmental impact - both in their production and their contribution to problems of littering," Green councillor Lois Muddiman said.

"That's why it's incredibly welcome that the city council has taken this crucial step in ensuring that street traders are required to use sustainable alternatives."

A public consultation at the end of 2022 found 79% were in favour of a ban.

"Only two respondents were from traders and the overall feedback was very positive," Ms Muddiman said.

An "awful lot" of street vendors were already using cardboard and bamboo, she added.

Julie Kleeman, co-owner of Taste Tibet in the city, has been selling street food at markets and touring festivals since 2014.

"Back then we were the only people using compostable, recyclable wares, we never considered taking a cheaper route and it's easy to source more environmentally friendly containers now.

"There's a wealth of competition online which is pushing prices down and access has never been better, especially since the pandemic when takeaways became a big thing," she said.

Monitoring officers will carry out "spot checks" and "hopefully the public will report" traders who flout the new law, Ms Muddiman said. Fines would only be imposed as a last resort.

Last month, the government announced its own "far-reaching" ban on single-use plastic, claiming more than 95% of those who responded to its consultation were in favour of it being scrapped.