Iconic fast food items to be banned in sweeping new laws

New rules will change takeaways on October 1 (Image: Getty) Iconic fast food items will be banned in sweeping new laws coming into force on October 1. From the beginning of next month, fast food bosses will be prevented from serving items on single-use plastic materials meaning customers will no longer be able to use polystyrene containers and cups. However, these can still be used if the food needs ‘further preparation’ before it’s eaten such as adding water or toasting. Business owners have been warned that they should update their existing stock or face being fined, the Mirror reported. The new rules will change how businesses package food (Image: Getty) The new laws in England are similar to those already in place in Scotland which came into force in June 2022. Wales  has already highlighted how it intends to bring in similar rules in a bill earlier this month. The ban on polystyrene comes after single-use plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds were banned in 2020. Minister Thérèse Coffey said the change would help to protect the environment . In a statement, Ms Coffey said: ‘I am determined to drive forward action to tackle this issue head-on. ‘We’ve already taken major steps in recent years – but we know there is more to do, and we have again listened to the public’s calls. ‘This new ban will have a huge impact to stop the pollution of billions of pieces of plastics and help to protect the natural environment for future generations.’ According to the Government, local authorities will conduct inspections to make sure the new rules are being followed. If businesses are found to have broken the law, they might be made to cover the cost of the investigation. The latest changes follow a turbulent week for the Government after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided to push back on several environmental policies. This included the pushback on the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035. The delay puts the UK in line with Europe which has similar plans.