England bans single-use plastics… just as Israel removes tax on them

Ministers said this week that single-use plastics will soon be banned in England, just days after Israel’s new government cut tax on the same items to help strictly Orthodox Jewish families.

The announcement from the British government covers disposable tableware such as plastic cutlery, plates, and polystyrene trays. Meanwhile, in Israel, a 2021 tax rise on the same products was reversed late last week.

In England, 1.1 billion single-use plastic plates and more than four billion pieces of plastic cutlery are used every year. They are lodged in landfill sites but do not decompose. Many end up in the sea, before getting washed ashore, caught up in fishing equipment, or broken down and ingested by marine life.

The EU banned single-use plastics in July 2021. It already has directives covering cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, cups, straws and stirrers, balloons, food containers, cigarette butts, plastic bags, packets and wrappers, wet wipes, and sanitary items.

Scotland and Wales have also instituted laws concerning single-use plastics (SUPs), and on Monday Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey set out the ban, which mainly targets takeaway food and drink.

It stands in stark contrast to last week’s ruling by Israel’s new government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, after Bezalel Smotrich – in his first move as finance minister – repealed the 2021 tax rises on disposables and sugary drinks.

Strictly Orthodox politicians praised the move, as images were circulated on social media showing Charedi men celebrating the decision by drinking a popular sugary soft drink from disposable plastic cups.

Uri Maklev, who heads the Charedi United Torah Judaism party, said the tax rises from 2021 were seen as unfairly targeting strictly Orthodox Jews, adding that the government’s reversal meant it was “working for the citizens, not against them”.

Per capita, Israelis are the world’s biggest users of disposable tableware, according to some analysis, and the SUP tax was expected to bring in around £300 million per year, before it was withdrawn last week.