The call comes as MPs launch a consultation on bioplastics and City to Sea have produced an ‘explainer’ video to help people understand the problems with bioplastics.

Responding, City to Sea CEO, Rebecca Burges, said:

“Bioplastics might sound good, but in reality, they are basically the same as plastic and don’t decompose in the way most people think they do. They often just end up as rubbish littering our streets, oceans and killing marine life. Bioplastics are a ‘false solution’ as they are single-use and there are extremely limited options to compost them. Ultimately, due the nature of when we tend to use bioplastics – as takeaway food containers and packaging – they end up in the bin and consequently as rubbish needing to be burned or landfilled.”

She continued, “Our advice at City to Sea remains that reducing the amount of single-use plastic we use is the only solution. Through the Refill campaign we’re working with thousands of food-to-go businesses to encourage them to move towards refillable options rather than switching to bio-plastics.”

City to Sea are now working with over 23,000 businesses in the food to go sector, including high-street chains like Pret and Costa and have seen a significant increase in the number of enquiries about bioplastics and compostables in recent month. Next week, City to Sea will be launching a free guide for businesses in the food-to-go sector – ‘Navigating disposables & reusables: a guide to reducing the impact of single-use packaging in the food-to-go sector’.