Plastic Straw Law – What Are The Rules?

In recent years, the debate over plastic straws has intensified. As a staple of the bubble tea industry, shop owners need to understand the rules.

Plastic straws have become common throughout fast food and delivery services, which has raised concerns about waste in the food and beverage industry. Large-diameter straws are essential for enjoying tapioca pearls, so knowing the regulations is particularly important for bubble tea shops.

The Law on Plastic Straws in the UK

Establishments must not sell plastic straws as standard and must instead offer alternatives such as paper and bamboo. Although most paper straws have some kind of plastic inner lining these do still count as non-plastic. This does not mean that plastic straws are banned completely, there are exemptions that allow retailers to still offer plastic straws:

• keep straws where customers cannot see them or help themselves to them.
• only give straws to customers that request them.
• not offer them to customers either verbally or in writing.

In practice this means that plastic straws can be kept behind the counter and given to customers who ask. But you should not be the one to offer plastic straws and paper or bamboo should be the standard.

The Future

Some retailers still use plastic straws, but many forward-looking businesses have switched to paper and are now exploring bamboo alternatives. Bamboo straws provide the durability of plastic while remaining eco-friendly and recyclable.

Keep an eye on our product stock for future offerings here.