Welsh Government Announcement – Delay Implementing Phase 2 of the Single Use Plastics Ban

The Welsh government made an announcement on 11 February about delaying the implementation of Phase 2 of the single-use plastic products.

The ban won’t take place in Spring 2026, but the Welsh Government remains committed to bringing in the remaining Phase 2 bans but “at a later date”.

The products affected are:

• Single-use plastic carrier bags – with exemptions including carrier bags for raw fish, meat or poultry and unpackaged food
• Polystyrene lids for cups and takeaway food containers
• Oxo-degradable plastic products.

The reason for the delay is: “The UK Government’s review of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (UKIMA) included commitments to make the Common Frameworks the key mechanism to agree policy cooperation and manage divergence, and for UKIMA to be relegated to the background. We are committed to working collaboratively via the Common Framework processes to agree the necessary UKIMA exclusion for this legislation. This means it is no longer viable to agree and enact an exclusion under UKIMA in time to implement the remaining ‘Phase 2 bans’ this Senedd term.”

The written statement is here.

The updated guidance is here.