Scotland has become the first UK nation to enforce a ban on single-use plastics.
The rule change, which came into force from today, will now make it an offence for businesses to provide a number of single-use plastic items.
These include plastic cutlery (such as forks, knives spoons and chopsticks), plates, straws, beverage stirrers and balloon sticks.
The ban also applies to food containers made of expanded polystyrene, cups and other beverage containers made of the material - including their covers and lids.
Any business that falls foul of the rules faces a maximum fine of £5,000.
There will be an exemption to plastic straws, which will remain available for those who need them for independent living or medical purposes.
The rule change comes following a six month grace period that followed the passing of the legislation during the COP26 summit last year.
Around 700 million single use items are currently used in Scotland every year.
The Scottish Government says that the ban was initially under threat by the UK Internal Market Act, which would have rendered the ban ineffective in Scotland.
Scotland was later excluded from the act.
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “By banning some of the most problematic single-use plastic items in Scotland, we are turning our promises into action. Every year, hundreds of millions of single-use plastic are wasted, with many of them littering our beaches, waters and parks. This ban will encourage businesses to make the switch to reusable alternatives, helping to reduce litter and cut emissions.
“Protecting Scotland’s environment is a devolved matter and key decisions like this one should be ours to make. It was wholly unacceptable that it could have been effectively vetoed by the UK Government under their UK Internal Market Act, which it imposed on the rest of the UK despite no devolved legislature giving consent to it.
“The Scottish Government pressed repeatedly for, and finally secured, an exclusion from the Act for our ban. While we are frustrated that the exclusion will not be in force by 1 June, it will follow soon after, meaning this important ban will be fully effective across Scotland. Regardless of the delay in the exclusion, we’d encourage everyone to ditch these harmful items now.”
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