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lastic cutlery and plates could be banned under plans being considered by the Government.
In a move that could signal the return to the traditional picnic basket, The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are investigating what the environmental and economic impact would be if the items were removed from sale in England.
It comes after the Government announced plans to ban plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds earlier this year and is consulting on the introduciton of a deposit return scheme for single use drinks containers.
Theresa May, who has described plastic waste as "one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world", has urged other world leaders to follow Britains lead following the introduction of a ban on plastic microbeads and a 5p levy on plastic bags.
France was the first country to announce a ban on plastic plates and cutlery, though the law passed in 2016 will not come into effect until 2020.
In a notice seen by Tussell, a data provider of public procurement information, Defra are now offering a £19,000 contract for research into the "economic, environmental and social impacts of introducing a legislative ban in England" on plastic plates and cutlery.
The notice states: "Single use plastics, including plastic plates, plastic cutlery and plastic balloon sticks may have significant negative impacts on the general environment when they are discarded after use.
"The Government wishes to assess what the economic impacts of introducing regulations banning these items in England would be and weighing these impacts against the resultant environmental benefits."
It comes amid rising concern about the impact of single use plastics on the environment and the oceans in particular.
The latest annual beach clean up by the Marine Conservation Society found that single-use plastic items involved in the on-the-go food and drink market now make up one in every five pieces of litter - an average of 138 pieces on every 100 metres of UK beaches.
A Defra spokesperson said: “As set out in our 25 Year Environment Plan our ambition is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. “We have already introduced a world-leading ban on microbeads and taken nine billion plastic bags out of circulation with our 5p carrier bag charge, but we want to go further to achieve this goal.
“And to do that we are prepared to introduce a ban on the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds to protect our rivers and seas.”
Sian Sutherland, founder of A Plastic Planet, said: "Somehow the UK government think there may be some benefit to continuing to allow plastic cutlery and plates to be sold in UK.
"But there are so many alternatives - bamboo, card, metal - all sustainably sourced, all highly recycled, all just as convenient. Why do we need to have a consultation on this when the answer is so evident.
"We can buy fat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free and yet just try buying plastic-free in your local supermarkets - It is impossible.
"France introduced a blanket ban on all plastic cutlery, plates and cups in 2016; in Kenya even carrying a plastic bag will warrant four years in prison or a $39k fine. Rwanda plan to be the worlds first plastic free nation by 2020."
She added that the public should "vote with our wallets" to encourage Government and retailers to stop using plastic.
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