In May 2019, the United Kingdom government confirmed that plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds with plastic stems will be banned from sale and use in England from April 2020. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said, "Urgent and decisive action is needed to tackle plastic pollution and protect our environment. These items are often used for just a few minutes but take hundreds of years to break down, ending up in our seas and oceans and harming precious marine life." A government consultation found that more than 80% of respondents supported a ban on the distribution and sale of plastic straws, while nine out of ten people wanted a ban on drink stirrers and a similar number supported a ban on plastic-handled cotton buds.
