Packaging and products EWSNI

Single-use plastics bans, vapes, wet wipes and carrier bag charges

Each UK nation bans the supply of a list of single-use plastic items, enforced by councils and Trading Standards: plastic cutlery, plates, bowls, trays, balloon sticks and polystyrene food and drink containers in England since 1 October 2023, with similar and sometimes longer lists in Scotland (June 2022), Wales (October 2023) and Northern Ireland. Disposable vapes have been banned UK-wide since 1 June 2025, and wet wipes containing plastic are banned from 18 December 2026 in Wales and during 2027 elsewhere.

Reviewed against official sources on 14 October 2026. 4 minute read. Regulators: Local authorities, Trading Standards, Defra, Welsh Government, Scottish Government, DAERA.

At a glance

Who must comply: Any business that supplies the banned items to consumers or other businesses: hospitality, takeaways, retailers, caterers, event organisers, wholesalers and manufacturers.
Thresholds: None. Supply of a banned item, even free of charge, is prohibited; the carrier bag charge applies per bag to all retailers (large retailers only in England).
Next key date: 18 December 2026: ban on supplying wet wipes containing plastic in Wales, followed by Northern Ireland (18 May 2027), England (19 May 2027) and Scotland (11 August 2027).
Regulator: Local authority Trading Standards and environmental health teams; policy by Defra, the Welsh and Scottish Governments and DAERA.
Maximum penalty: Fixed penalties (for example £200 for supplying disposable vapes in England), civil sanctions and prosecution with fines on conviction; stock can be seized.
Where to do it: No registration: audit your stock against each nation's banned list and switch suppliers before each date.

This probably applies to you if

You run a café, restaurant, pub, takeaway, hotel or catering operation
You sell food, drinks or household goods in a shop or online, including vapes and wet wipes
You manufacture or wholesale disposable tableware, packaging, wipes or vapes
You hand out single-use items at events, in offices or in hospitality rooms
You provide carrier bags to customers at the point of sale

Banned single-use plastic items by nation

Item	England	Wales	Scotland	Northern Ireland
Plastic straws, stirrers, plastic-stemmed cotton buds	Banned since 1 October 2020	Banned since 30 October 2023	Banned since 1 June 2022	Banned under the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive
Plastic cutlery, plates, bowls, trays	Banned since 1 October 2023	Banned since 30 October 2023	Banned since 1 June 2022	Banned (cutlery, plates)
Expanded or extruded polystyrene cups and food and drink containers	Banned since 1 October 2023	Banned since 30 October 2023	Banned since 1 June 2022	Banned
Balloon sticks	Banned since 1 October 2023	Banned since 30 October 2023	Banned since 1 June 2022	Banned
Oxo-degradable plastic products	Not banned	Planned (second phase)	Banned since 1 June 2022	Banned
Single-use plastic carrier bags, polystyrene lids	Charge applies (bags)	Planned bans (second phase)	Charge applies (bags)	Charge applies (bags)

In England the 2023 ban covers supply to consumers (including for takeaway food) but plates, bowls and trays used as packaging for pre-filled or filled-at-point-of-sale food are dealt with under packaging rules instead. Wales's Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 has a second phase covering plastic carrier bags, polystyrene lids and oxo-degradable products; check gov.wales for the commencement date before relying on it. Northern Ireland applies the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive's market restrictions under the Windsor Framework.

Disposable vapes

Single-use (disposable) vapes have been banned from sale and supply across the UK since 1 June 2025, under separate regulations in each nation. A vape is single-use if it is not refillable or not rechargeable. Businesses may still sell refillable, rechargeable vapes, which remain subject to the WEEE regulations and battery take-back duties. In England, Trading Standards can issue a £200 fixed penalty for a first offence and prosecute repeat offenders, and stock can be seized. The ban applies to online sales as well as shops.

Wet wipes containing plastic

All four governments have legislated to ban the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic, with staggered dates:

Nation	Ban on sale and supply from
Wales	18 December 2026
Northern Ireland	18 May 2027
England	19 May 2027
Scotland	11 August 2027

Exemptions cover wipes for professional medical treatment, industrial and laboratory use, and supply by registered pharmacies for specific health needs. Businesses selling, importing or manufacturing wipes should switch to plastic-free products and run down stock before each date; selling banned stock after the deadline is an offence.

Carrier bag charges and microbeads

Nation	Minimum charge per single-use carrier bag	Who must charge
England	10p (since 21 May 2021)	All retailers (the 250-employee limit was removed in 2021)
Wales	5p	All retailers
Scotland	10p	All retailers
Northern Ireland	25p (since April 2022)	All retailers, with a levy paid to DAERA

Large retailers in England must also report bag numbers and what they did with the proceeds. Microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics and personal care products have been banned across the UK since 2018.

How to comply, step by step

Audit your consumables
List every single-use item you buy or give away: tableware, cups, lids, straws, stirrers, wipes, bags, vapes.
Check each item against the banned list for each nation you trade in
Watch the material: plastic-lined paper cups are generally allowed, polystyrene cups are not; wooden cutlery is allowed, plastic is not.
Switch suppliers before the next date
Wet wipes with plastic must be gone from Welsh shelves by 18 December 2026 and from the rest of the UK during 2027.
Update online listings and menus
Online sales are covered by the bans and the vapes ban in particular is enforced against web shops.
Set up carrier bag charging and records
Charge the minimum per bag, account for it correctly, and keep records if you are a large retailer in England.

Enforcement

Councils' Trading Standards and environmental health officers enforce the bans with inspections, test purchases, fixed penalties, civil sanctions and prosecutions. They can seize banned stock. Because the lists and dates differ by nation, multi-site businesses should keep a single schedule showing which items are banned where and from when, and brief purchasing teams before each change.

How it differs across the UK

E England: Bans on straws, stirrers and cotton buds (2020) and cutlery, plates, bowls, trays, balloon sticks and polystyrene containers (2023); disposable vapes banned since 1 June 2025; wet wipes with plastic banned from 19 May 2027; 10p carrier bag charge for all retailers.
W Wales: The Single-use Plastic Products (Wales) Act 2023 banned the first group of items from 30 October 2023 with a second phase (carrier bags, polystyrene lids, oxo-degradables) planned; disposable vapes banned since 1 June 2025; wet wipes with plastic banned from 18 December 2026, the first in the UK; 5p carrier bag charge.
S Scotland: The longest list, in force since 1 June 2022, including oxo-degradable products; fines up to £5,000; disposable vapes banned since 1 June 2025; wet wipes with plastic banned from 11 August 2027; 10p carrier bag charge.
NI Northern Ireland: EU Single-Use Plastics Directive restrictions apply under the Windsor Framework; disposable vapes banned since 1 June 2025; wet wipes with plastic banned from 18 May 2027; 25p carrier bag levy.

Key dates

18 Dec 2026

Ban on the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic begins in Wales

Retailers, wholesalers, importers and manufacturers of wet wipes W
18 May 2027

Ban on the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic begins in Northern Ireland

Retailers, wholesalers, importers and manufacturers of wet wipes NI
19 May 2027

Ban on the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic begins in England

Retailers, wholesalers, importers and manufacturers of wet wipes E
11 Aug 2027

Ban on the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic begins in Scotland

Retailers, wholesalers, importers and manufacturers of wet wipes S

Dates marked “Proposed” are announced or consulted on but not yet law. See the full deadlines calendar.

Penalties and enforcement

Breach	Penalty	Applies in
Supplying a disposable vape	£200 fixed penalty for a first offence, prosecution and fines for repeat offences, seizure of stock	E	Source
Supplying a banned single-use plastic item	Civil sanctions and prosecution with a fine on conviction; stock may be seized	E	Source
Supplying a banned single-use plastic item	Fine of up to £5,000 on summary conviction	S	Source

Compliance checklist

Single-use plastic items audited against the banned list in each nation you operate in
Plastic cutlery, plates, trays, balloon sticks and polystyrene containers removed from supply
No disposable vapes on sale since 1 June 2025; refillable vapes covered by WEEE and battery take-back
Wet wipes containing plastic phased out before 18 December 2026 (Wales) and the 2027 dates elsewhere
Carrier bag charge applied at the minimum rate and recorded
Online listings and menus updated
Suppliers asked to confirm products are compliant and plastic-free where required

Where to do it: official services

Single-use plastics: bans and restrictions (England) Guidance
The items banned in England, exemptions and enforcement. Defra via GOV.UK E
Single-use vapes ban: guidance for businesses Guidance
What counts as a single-use vape and the penalties for supplying one. Defra via GOV.UK E
Wet wipes containing plastic (Northern Ireland) Guidance
DAERA's guidance on the 18 May 2027 ban and exemptions. DAERA NI
Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act: guidance Guidance
Banned items in Wales and the phased approach under the 2023 Act. Welsh Government W
Ban on wet wipes containing plastic: guidance for businesses (Wales) Guidance
The 18 December 2026 ban, exemptions for medical wipes and what businesses must do. Welsh Government W

The law behind this

Questions people ask

When is the plastic wet wipes ban?

Wales bans the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic from 18 December 2026, Northern Ireland from 18 May 2027, England from 19 May 2027 and Scotland from 11 August 2027. Medical, industrial and laboratory wipes are exempt, and registered pharmacies can supply them for specific health needs. Businesses should run down stock before their first applicable date.

Are disposable vapes banned in the UK?

Yes, since 1 June 2025 in all four nations. A vape is single-use if it cannot be refilled or recharged. Refillable, rechargeable vapes can still be sold but are electrical equipment under the WEEE regulations and contain batteries subject to take-back duties. In England, Trading Standards can issue a £200 fixed penalty and prosecute repeat offenders.

Can a café still use plastic-lined paper cups?

Generally yes. The bans target cups and containers made of expanded or extruded polystyrene and items made of plastic such as cutlery and plates. Paper cups with a thin plastic lining are not banned, though they count as packaging under packaging EPR and Scotland is considering a charge on single-use cups. Wooden or paper cutlery, plates and straws are compliant alternatives.

What is the carrier bag charge in each nation?

A minimum of 10p per single-use carrier bag in England and Scotland, 5p in Wales and 25p in Northern Ireland, where the charge is a levy paid to DAERA. All retailers must charge; England removed its small-retailer exemption in 2021. Large retailers in England must also report bag numbers and the use of proceeds.

Who enforces single-use plastic bans?

Local authority Trading Standards and environmental health teams, using inspections and test purchases. They can issue fixed penalties and civil sanctions, seize banned stock and prosecute, with fines on conviction of up to £5,000 in Scotland and unlimited in the Crown Court elsewhere. Online sellers are covered in the same way as shops.

Terms used in this guide

Single-use plastic product: An item made wholly or partly of plastic that is not designed to be used more than once, such as disposable cutlery or a polystyrene cup.
Oxo-degradable plastic: Plastic with additives that make it fragment into microplastics; banned in Scotland and Northern Ireland and planned for a ban in Wales.
Single-use vape: A vape that is not refillable, not rechargeable, or neither; banned from sale across the UK since 1 June 2025.
Carrier bag charge: The minimum price retailers must charge for a single-use carrier bag, from 5p in Wales to 25p in Northern Ireland.

Full glossary

Sources

Reviewed 14 October 2026. If you spot something out of date, email info@thamesenvironment.com.