Pret A Manger is making a MASSIVE change to cutlery to help cut waste
PRET a Manger is introducing compostable cutlery at all its shops in a bid to cut plastic.
Starting from next year, all the chain's forks, knives and spoons will be made from biodegrable materials, after a previous trial to introduce wooden cutlery proved unpopular with customers.
The sandwich chain also said it will keep cutlery behind tills in a "handful of shops" to encourage people to bring their own.
Pret said in a tweet: "First we trialled wooden cutlery, and you told us it just wasn't up to scratch.
"The good news is we will introduce compostable cutelery to all our UK shops next year.
"In the meantime, we are testing keeping cutlery behind our tills to see if this also makes a difference."
Biodegrable cutlery is often made from corn strach, a material that has become a popular alternative for companies working to cut their plastic use.
Pret's announcement is the chain's latest move to encourage customers to ditch plastic for more environmentally-friendly materials.
Last year, it started giving a 50p discount on hot beverages for customers who bring in their own cup.
The high street-chain is also offering free tap water in some stores to customers and passers-by in a bid to reduce the use of disposable plastic bottles.
And it's not the only company fighting plastic waste.
Meanwhile, McDonald's is getting rid of plastic straws and replacing them with paper ones. Wetherspoons also ditched plastic straws across its 900 pubs in the UK and Ireland.
Around 8.5 billion plastic straws are thrown away each year, potentially contributing to the over 150 million tonnes of plastic in the world’s oceans.
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With that in mind, Theresa May is to unveil a sweeping ban on a number of products. A consultation will start later in 2018 and a ban could be enforced as early as next year.
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It means single-use plastics - like straws - could no longer be available in pubs and restaurants.
The move also follows new rules introduced two years ago forcing customers to pay a 5p charge for plastic bags, which drastically reduced the number of bags being used.
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