Scotland’s ban on plastic-stemmed cotton buds comes into effect

On 12 October 2019, the Scottish Government ban on the sale of plastic stemmed cotton buds in Scotland came into effect.

A similar ban, which also includes plastic coffee stirrers and straws, comes into force in the rest of the UK next year.

Cotton buds are consistently listed in the top 10 forms of beach litter by the Marine Conservation Society. Across the UK, about 1.8 billion of them are sold every year.

More information on the ban can be found on the Scottish Government website.

Source: Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS), 16 October 2019