Michael Gove announces effort to ban straws in ‘Road to Damascus moment’

Last week Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove announced that the government is hoping to enforce a ban on plastic straws. This move is unlikely to take place in the immediate future as Gove says; “EU laws mean that we can’t ban straws at moment, but I’m doing everything I can to ensure that we end this scourge and I hope to make an announcement shortly.” Gove was previously been branded “totally unfit” for the job of Secretary of State for Environment by Green MP Caroline Lucas. She called Gove’s past suggestion to “scrap vital EU environmental protections” “ever more concerning”.

 

Anthony Wilkinson, Founder of ‘Sack the Straw’, an environmental movement focusing on reducing straw use in the borough of Islington London says; “I think (Gove) is trying to improve his image. He has probably been watching Blue Planet and had a road to Damascus moment. (…) If the government’s Environmental policy post Brexit starts with straws…great. But if that’s the full extent of it, they really need to do more. Not only to reduce plastic but to deal with other environmental issues.” Wilkinson says that he expects we will be required to “aline with Europe environmentally” post Brexit. He also says Gove must be clearer in his definition of banning straws and explain whether he will ban the “popular biodegradable straws that in fact take thousands of years to degrade.” Wilkinson says whether this ban gets through or not “It is worth doing things on a local level.” His campaign in Islington has made a difference with several business owners removing straws from their bars and cafes.

 

Isabel Clancy, supervisor at Picture House Hackney says the company, like many, have already phased out traditional straws instead using biodegradable straws. She says the swap has had a “positive impact” with “more happy customers” as she believes “it’s an issue the community has come together over and people trust the brand more if they are visibly environmentally aware.” Clancy says the move to ban plastic straws is “great as they are heavily used in London and it’s a little step to big change”. She like Wilkinson believes the matter “should not be made so political, it’s everyone’s agenda that we get this world sorted out”.

 

You can find Sack the Straw on Twitter at @sackthestraw .