Why does the Prime Minister want you to stop using disposable plastic?

  • Published
Media caption,

WATCH: Martin finds out why people want to ban plastic

The Prime minister wants to get rid of all avoidable plastic waste from the UK in the next 25 years.

Theresa May says she thinks that in the future "people will be shocked" to discover how much plastic we used.

But what's the problem with plastics? Why does the government want to ban things like takeaway boxes?

Well... plastic takes a long time to get rid of - just a simple plastic bag can take hundreds of years to disintegrate.

In all that time the plastic can do lots of damage - getting into the oceans and potentially getting inside animals.

Image source, PA
Image caption,

Can you imagine what 1000 Albert Halls filled with plastic waste would look like?

And there's so much of it. In the UK alone, the amount of single-use plastic wasted every year would fill 1,000 of London's famous Royal Albert Hall.

But the problem's not just in the UK - plastic is washing up on beaches all around the world.

Lots of countries are trying to tackle the problem.

This means trying to find ways to reduce the amount of plastic that's used and encouraging more recycling and reuse.

Do you think disposable plastic should be banned? Go and vote in our poll here.