eBay UK has issued guidance to its sellers stating they must remove single-use plastic items from their listings before June 1st, 2022. The advice follows in the wake of new laws in Scotland banning the sale of environmentally damaging single-use plastic items.
Sellers should comply with these new laws by reviewing their inventory and removing non-compliant listings. These include:
- Plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks), plates, straws, beverage stirrers, and balloon sticks
- Food containers made of expanded polystyrene
- Cups and other beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene, including their covers and lids
eBay advises sellers that after the June 1st deadline, it will be an offense to sell these single-use plastic items on the online marketplace.
Any individual or business convicted of an offence relating to this ban could be liable for a fine of up to £5,000.
There are currently more than 6,400 listings for plastic plates and 7,200+ listings for plastic drinking straws on the UK marketplace.
Single-Use Plastics Ban on eBay
Speaking about the ban, Lorna Slater, Circular Economy Minister in Scotland, said: “We are turning promise into action and banning some of the most problematic single-use plastic items in Scotland. Every year, hundreds of millions of pieces of single-use plastic are wasted in this country. They litter our coasts, pollute our oceans and contribute to the climate emergency. That has to end, and this ban will be another step forward in the fight against plastic waste and throwaway culture. This is another example of the sort of bold action that is needed if we are to deliver on the commitments that are being made at COP26.”
The wider UK government is currently analysing public feedback on adopting a similar ban on single-use plastics.
It has been estimated that more than 1.1 billion single-use plates and 4.25 billion items of single-use cutlery are used in England every year. However, only 10% of these single-use plastics are recycled upon disposal.
