Packaging rule · United Kingdom · Ban
Wales Single-use Plastic Products Act 2023
Ban covering single-use plastic in Wales, United Kingdom, set by Senedd Cymru / Welsh Government. Applies since 30 October 2023.
The rule
Recorded from the official source named below. Rates and dates are as the source states them on the date it was consulted.
- Jurisdiction
- United Kingdom · Wales
- Authority
- Senedd Cymru / Welsh Government
- Rule type
- Ban
- Materials
- Single-use plastic
- Status
- In force Enacted
- Adopted or published
- 6 June 2023
- Applies from
- 30 October 2023
From the source“received Royal Assent on 6 June 2023”
Official source legislation.gov.uk: WSI 2023/1149 Commencement No. 1 OrderOfficial (government or regulator) · consulted 14 October 2026
Key dates
Adopted or published 3 years and 4 months ago
Applies from 2 years and 11 months ago
Source consulted by the SPI team 1 day ago
Re-checked by a second SPI team member 1 day ago
What it means
SPI analysis Our reading of the official source above. Not legal advice; always rely on the official text.
SPI summary
Act of the Senedd banning supply of listed single-use plastic products in Wales, including plates, cutlery, straws, and cups and takeaway food containers made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene. The first prohibitions came into force on 30 October 2023; lids, carrier bags and oxo-degradable items were not included. A wet wipes ban applies from 18 December 2026.
In practice
The Single-use Plastic Products (Wales) Act 2023 makes it an offence to supply or offer listed single-use plastic products to consumers in Wales. Since 30 October 2023 plates, cutlery, stirrers, straws (with health-related exemptions), balloon sticks, cotton buds, and polystyrene cups and takeaway food containers have been banned. Other listed items (polystyrene lids, carrier bags and oxo-degradable plastic) were not commenced by the first order, and wet wipes containing plastic are added from 18 December 2026, so foodservice packaging suppliers need to track Welsh dates separately from England.
Where the record is unclear
- No commencement date was found for the entries for lids for cups or takeaway food containers, carrier bags and oxo-degradable plastic products.
- Whether pre-filled packaging formats are treated differently was not confirmed; the Act's definitions in section 1 were not read in full.
Where it sits in the tracker
- One of 7 packaging rules we track in the United Kingdom, of which 2 are ban rules.
- In all, 17 ban rules are tracked across 11 jurisdictions. Compare them below
Company profiles that map to this rule
Companies whose SPI profile lists this rule in its regulatory exposure, based on where they report selling. Not company-reported.
Overview
The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 is primary legislation of Senedd Cymru, which received Royal Assent on 6 June 20231. Its 23 sections fall into four groups: the prohibition (sections 1 to 4), the offence (sections 5 and 6), enforcement by local authorities (sections 7 to 19) and general provisions (sections 20 to 23), with the list of banned products set out in a Schedule table7.
The Act defines the problem broadly. A plastic product is one whose main structural components are made wholly or partly of plastic, or which has a plastic lining or coating, and a product is single-use if it is not designed to be used more than once for its purpose before disposal (section 1)5. Adhesives, paints and inks are not plastic, and chemically unmodified natural polymers are also outside the definition5.
The list can grow without a new Act. Section 3 lets the Welsh Ministers amend the Schedule by regulations after consultation, subject to the sustainable development duty in section 4, and that power was used in WSI 2025/716 to add wet wipes from 18 December 20268. Commencement is staged by order: WSI 2023/1149, made on 26 October 2023, brought the prohibition into force on 30 October 2023 for most products but held back lids, carrier bags and oxo-degradable plastic products1.
Who must do what
Any person supplying consumers in Wales (body corporate, partnership, association or sole trader)
- Never supply a commenced prohibited product to a consumer, or offer one on premises in Wales; giving it away free also counts as supply (section 5(1) and (3)).
- Treat display, or keeping a product where consumers can reach it, as an offer to supply (section 5(4)).
- Answer for the acts of employees, contractors and agents, which count as the supplier's own (section 5(5)).
Remote and delivery sellers
- Arranging delivery to an address in Wales counts as supply to a consumer there, even if the product goes elsewhere or never arrives (section 5(6)).
- Apply the Welsh product list to orders delivered into Wales from England or abroad.
Pharmacies and care providers supplying straws
- Straws may be sold by a retail pharmacy where the buyer declares a health or disability need (Schedule, exemption 1).
- Straws may be supplied free to a person in care or to anyone declaring such a need, or for medical care or treatment (Schedule, exemptions 2 to 4).
Local authorities in Wales
- Take enforcement action, make test purchases and use powers of entry and inspection (sections 7 to 13).
- Handle appeals on retained property and pay compensation for appropriated property where due (sections 15 and 16).
Are you in scope?
Work through each question. The answers are the SPI team's reading of the sources cited.
Is the recipient a consumer, an individual acting wholly or mainly outside a trade, business or profession?
- If yes
- Supply is caught by section 5.
- If no
- Supply to persons acting for trade purposes is outside the offence.
Is the product a plate, cutlery, drink stirrer, straw, balloon stick or cotton bud made of single-use plastic?
- If yes
- Prohibited since 30 October 2023, with the straw exemptions as the only relief.
- If no
- Check the polystyrene and later-commenced entries.
Is a cup or takeaway food container made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene?
- If yes
- Prohibited since 30 October 2023.
- If no
- Cups and containers of other plastics are exempt under the Schedule.
Is it a lid, a carrier bag or a product of oxo-degradable plastic?
- If yes
- Listed in the Act but not commenced by WSI 2023/1149, so not yet an offence.
- If no
- Apply the commenced entries.
Is it a wet wipe containing plastic, other than one designed for medical care or treatment?
- If yes
- Prohibited from 18 December 2026 under WSI 2025/716.
- If no
- Medical wet wipes remain lawful.
Does the product's main structure, lining or coating contain plastic?
- If yes
- It is a plastic product under section 1(2).
- If no
- Unmodified natural polymers and adhesives, paints or inks alone do not make it plastic.
Compliance checklist
Audit products offered or delivered to Welsh consumers
By In force since 30 October 2023SPI analysis of the official text. Not legal advice; confirm with the text or counsel. Include web orders with Welsh delivery addresses, which count as supply in Wales.
Evidence to keep Product list with Welsh sale and delivery flags.
Withdraw plastic-containing wet wipes from Welsh consumer sale
By 18 December 2026Only wipes designed for medical care or treatment remain exempt.
Evidence to keep Composition data for each wipe range and medical claims files.
Set up the straw exemption process
By NowPharmacies and carers need a way to record a declared health or disability need.
Evidence to keep Declaration procedure and staff instructions.
Build due diligence controls
By NowSection 5(7) provides a defence where all due diligence and all reasonable precautions were taken.
Evidence to keep Supplier material declarations and range checks.
Plan for lids, carrier bags and oxo-degradable items
By When a further commencement order is madeThese entries are already in the Schedule and need only an order to take effect.
Evidence to keep Inventory of lids and bags supplied in Wales.
Enforcement and penalties
- Who enforces
- Local authorities in Wales (section 7).
- Powers
- Test purchases (section 8), entry to premises including residential premises and entry by warrant in specified circumstances (sections 9 to 12), inspection (section 13), and an offence of obstructing officers (section 14).
- Enforcement so far
- SPI's 14 October 2026 search of the official pages turned up no Welsh prosecution under the Act.
Penalties
| Breach | Penalty | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Supplying or offering to supply a prohibited single-use plastic product | a fine on summary conviction (no maximum stated) | Act 2023, sections 5 and 64 |
| Civil sanctions | none set: section 17 allows the Welsh Ministers to create them by regulations mirroring Part 3 of the 2008 sanctions Act, and WSI 2023/1149 did not commence section 17 | Act 2023, section 17; WSI 2023/11496 |
Several products supplied or offered together count as a single act under section 5(10), and a product matching a Schedule category is presumed to be single-use plastic unless evidence shows otherwise (section 5(9))3. Senior officers and partners can share criminal liability (sections 18 and 19)7. Unlike the English regime, there is no fixed penalty in force, so enforcement depends on prosecution until regulations under section 17 are made6.
How it fits with other rules
- England ban on single-use plastic plates, cutlery and polystyrene food containers PR-GB-006
England bans plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks and polystyrene food and drink containers under SI 2023/982, with a packaging exclusion for plates, trays and bowls and a £200 fixed penalty. Wales has no tray or bowl entry as such but lists takeaway food containers, and it has no fixed penalty in force, so the same item can face different tests on each side of the border. - SUP Directive: ban on single-use plastic cutlery, plates, straws and EPS containers PR-EU-014
The EU SUP Directive covers a similar item list including oxo-degradable plastic, which the Welsh Schedule also lists. Wales has not yet commenced its oxo-degradable entry, so that EU ban currently has no Welsh equivalent in force. - B.C. Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation PR-CA-005
British Columbia restricts polystyrene and other single-use food service ware under provincial rules. Like Wales, it acts below the national level, so brand owners face province or nation specific lists rather than one national rule. - Deposit return scheme for drinks containers (England and Northern Ireland) PR-GB-004
From 1 October 2027 drinks containers in Wales enter a Welsh deposit scheme under separate 2026 regulations that also take in glass, while England and Northern Ireland run theirs under SI 2025/67. Foodservice suppliers in Wales therefore meet a product ban under this Act and, for drinks, deposit duties under a different Welsh instrument.
History of the rule
Act receives Royal Assent.
WSI 2023/1149 Commencement No. 1 Order made.
First prohibitions in force; lids, carrier bags and oxo-degradable products held back.
WSI 2025/716 made after Senedd approval, adding wet wipes to the Schedule.
Today
Wet wipes prohibition in force, with a medical exemption.
Questions
Are plastic lids and carrier bags banned in Wales?
They are listed in the Schedule to the 2023 Act but were excluded from WSI 2023/1149, which commenced the bans on 30 October 2023. No later commencement order for them was found on 14 October 2026. Until one is made, supplying them is not an offence under section 5.
When does the Welsh wet wipes ban start?
On 18 December 2026, under WSI 2025/716 made on 18 June 2025. It covers pre-wetted non-woven wipes that meet the Act's single-use plastic definition. Wipes designed for medical care or treatment are exempt.
Does the Welsh ban apply to online sellers based in England?
Yes: section 5(6) treats arranging delivery to an address in Wales as supply to a consumer in Wales. This applies whatever the seller's location. The penalty on summary conviction is a fine under section 6.
Can a café in Wales still give a plastic straw to a customer who needs one?
Yes, exemption 3 in the Schedule allows free supply where the recipient declares a health or disability need. Pharmacies may sell straws on the same declaration under exemption 1. All other single-use plastic straws have been banned since 30 October 2023.
Are paper cups with a plastic lining caught by the Welsh Act?
Cups are banned only if made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene, so a plastic-lined paper cup is exempt from the cup entry. Section 1(2) would still count such a cup as a plastic product. This matters if a later amendment widens the cup entry.
Definitions
- Single-use
- A product not designed or manufactured to be used more than once, or on more than one occasion, for its purpose before disposal (section 1(3)).5
- Consumer
- An individual acting for purposes wholly or mainly outside their trade, business, craft or profession, whether or not they bought the product (section 5(11)).3
- Takeaway food container
- A receptacle other than a plate, such as a bowl, box, cone or tray, used for food ready to eat without preparation and normally eaten immediately (Schedule, paragraph 2).2
- Oxo-degradable plastic
- Plastic containing a substance that speeds oxidation and fragmentation under heat or light, whether or not microbes later break it down (Schedule, paragraph 2).2
- Wet wipe
- A pre-wetted piece of non-woven fabric (Schedule, paragraph 2, as amended by WSI 2025/716).8
Sources for this analysis
- legislation.gov.uk: WSI 2023/1149 Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 (Commencement No. 1) Order Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023, Schedule Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Act 2023, section 5 (offence) Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Act 2023, section 6 (mode of trial and penalty) Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Act 2023, section 1 (key concepts) Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Act 2023, section 17 (civil sanctions) Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Act 2023, table of contents Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: WSI 2025/716 Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wet Wipes) (Wales) Regulations 2025 Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
- Senedd Research: Deposit Return Scheme Regulations in brief Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
Written by the SPI team on 14 October 2026. Sources checked as of 14 October 2026. SPI analysis, not legal advice; always rely on the official text.
Change history
Verified: a second SPI team member re-checked every fact above against the source on 14 October 2026. Any later change to the facts sends the rule back to Sourced and is logged here.
Verified by a second SPI team member
Changed: SPI summary, rate note
Verified by a second SPI team member
Added to the tracker
Spotted an error? Write to sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com quoting PR-GB-007 and the source. Corrections are logged in this history.
Ban rules elsewhere
The same type of rule for the same materials in other jurisdictions, by the date it applies.
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