Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to discourage the use of single use plastics in schools.

The Government’s Twenty Five Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. This requires action across all stakeholders including producers and consumers. The government will work to remove all consumer single use plastics from the central government estate offices.

The School Food Standards require that drinking water must be supplied free of charge at all times to school pupils, and we are aware that many schools encourage pupils to use reusable bottles.

As part of the science curriculum, children are taught about the scientific concepts that relate to the environment. At key stage 2, pupils should explore examples of the human impact on environments, which can include the negative impact of litter. At present, around 75% of schools in England are members of the Eco-Schools programme. We would like to increase participation in this programme overall and are working actively on anti-littering awareness, including participating in litter picks.