BBC to ban all single-use plastics by 2020

The BBC has announced a three-step plan to cut out single-use plastics from its operations.

These steps include eradicating cups and cutlery by the end of this year, and plastic containers by 2019.

Ultimately, the company aims to be entirely free of single-use plastics by 2020.

The BBC brought the problem of plastic pollution to the attention of many people with Blue Planet II, a series that emphasised the pervasive damage caused by plastic in the marine environment.

Ways to reduce your single-use plastic

6 show all Ways to reduce your single-use plastic

1/6 Plastic water bottle for a reusable beverage container Instead of continually buying drinks in plastic bottles you can switch to a reusable beverage container and reduce your single-use of plastics. Selfridges' Bobble 550ml filtered water bottle costs £12.95 and includes a replaceable carbon filter that filters water as you drink, removing chlorine and organic contaminants in the process. You can buy it from selfridges.com Getty/Selfridges

2/6 Coffee cup for a Travel coffee mug It is estimated that the UK throws away around 2.5bn disposable coffee cups a year and almost all are incinerated, exported or sent to landfill because their plastic lining makes them expensive to recycle. The new Latte Levy in the UK means there will now be a 25p charge on every disposable coffee cup bought by consumers. Pret A Manger announced that it will double its discount to 50p in an effort to reduce waste. By swapping to a reusable cup you will be able to help cut the cost of disposable coffee cups. This Keep Cup Brew, cork edition, travel cup in Fika is just one of the many available to purchase. It fits under most commercial coffee machines, is splash-proof and ideal for transporting your coffee whilst on the go. You can buy this particular cup for £19.99 from trouva.com. Getty/Trouva

3/6 Plastic bags for reusable cloth bags An eco-friendly alternative to an ordinary plastic bag is this lightweight shopping bag. It comes with a practical pillowcase pocket and features a black and white ink splatter design. Convenient and durable it also has a matte black spring clip to attach it where you need it. You can buy this from paperchase.co.uk for just £5.00. Getty/Paperchase

4/6 Coffee pods for a pot of coffee Cut your plastic coffee pod usage with a cafetiere. This Barista and Co, 3 Cup Gold Cafetiere, from Habitat offers a simple way to brew and serve in style. Made from borosilicate glass and plated stainless steel with an ergonomically designed handle, the cafetiere is built to last and a pleasure to use; a fine metal filter produces a smooth coffee that retains its natural oils. You can buy it for £30 from habitat.co.uk. Getty/Habitat

5/6 Balloons for eco-friendly decorations Instead of using plastic balloons at your party try swapping them for some eco-friendly bunting. Handmade in Scotland, the bunting comprises thirteen brightly coloured pennants which spell out the words 'Happy Birthday', and uses lettering that has been printed onto 100 per cent recycled card. Included is 11ft of natural jute twine to hang the pennants on, and everything comes packaged in a cello bag. You can buy this bunting from Little Silverleaf on notonthehighstreet.com for £12.50. Getty/notonthehighstreet

6/6 Plastic straw for a reusable bamboo one Swap plastic straws for reusable ones made of bamboo. These straws are handmade in Bali and crafted by local balinese artisans. Made of organic and natural materials they are the best eco-friendly alternative to plastic, steel or glass straws. You can purchase them from Bali Boo on Amazon.co.uk for £13.99. PA/Bali Boo/Amazon

Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment, and it poses a threat to animals that may mistake it for food or become entangled in it.

Tony Hall, BBC director-general, said: “Like millions of people watching Blue Planet II, I was shocked to see the avoidable waste and harm created by single-use plastic. We all need to do our bit to tackle this problem, and I want the BBC to lead the way.

“Scrapping throwaway plastic cups and cutlery is the first step, and with our plan I hope we can have a BBC free of single-use plastic altogether.”

Trials are already being rolled out to cut down on plastic at certain BBC sites, with a pilot scheme set to take place in Salford this month in which plastic containers are removed from canteens.

In addition, the company will hold talks with suppliers and services in the coming months to assess where further changes can be implemented.

One item on the agenda will be coffee cups, which are also the focus of The Independent’s Cut the Cup Waste campaign. The UK gets through 7 million plastic-lined disposable coffee cups every day, the vast majority of which cannot be recycled due to the lack of specialist recycling facilities.

The new announcement follows a string of pledges from businesses and regions in the UK to eradicate single-use plastics. Supermarkets such as Asda and Iceland have stated their intention to cut back, and the Scottish Government has laid out plans to get rid of cotton buds and straws.

The presence of such items on beaches around the country has been highlighted by the Marine Conservation Society, which has calculated that straws , cups and coffee stirrers alone making up over 20 per cent of all the litter collected by volunteers. The organisation has therefore welcomed the BBC’s three-year plan.

Latte levy: The plastic problem inside your coffee cup

"This is great news in the fight against single use plastics,” said Sue Kinsey, senior pollution policy officer at the Marine Conservation Society.

“Each of these actions helps to keep the problem of plastic pollution high on the agenda and will hopefully have a domino effect as more and more people, companies and groups realise that so much plastic is unnecessary and that it is easy to either not use an item or find a reusable alternative.”

Plastic has been high on the political agenda since Theresa May launched a 25 year environment plan, which set out to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042.

While environmentalists welcomed the focus on pollution, many argued the Government’s plans lacked the legal underpinnings to make a real difference to the country’s plastic consumption.

“The BBC are already a bit of a hero amongst those of us worried about the millions of tonnes of plastic entering our oceans every year, as their Blue Planet II series did as much to raise awareness of this issue as years of campaigning,” said Louise Edge, senior campaigner at Greenpeace UK.

“But awareness raising is only step one, so it’s really encouraging to see them moving on to taking action, and that their timetable is two years, rather than Theresa May’s 25.”