NABAS has asked extra questions of the European Balloon and Party Council (EBPC) which has provided additional information to the legislation wording on the single-use plastic ban.
From 1 October, 2023, the Government implemented a ban on single-use plastics including plates, bowls, trays, containers, cutlery and balloon sticks. It has stipulated that businesses must no longer supply, sell or offer certain single use plastic items in England. The official guidance can be found here.
The first question NABAS posed was around whether plastic balloon sticks and cups could still be used for hireable centrepieces which are collected or returned for reuse. EBPC has clarified that in this case, the plastic is not intended as single-use, so the ban would not apply. Those products must be intended and marketed as re-usable balloon sticks by the manufacturers or producers.
When clarifying whether the ban applies to plastic sticks being given away as a promotional item, EBPC said the ban applies in these circumstances too, as it covers the ‘supply’ of single-use plastic balloon sticks.
For those balloon sticks with detachable plastic cups, the ban applies to both the single use plastic sticks and cups, including the stick itself and its attachment mechanism.
To read the full information, head over to the NABAS website, which also expands on the country specific advice for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
