After working with Sir David Attenborough on a conservation documentary about the Commonwealth’s wildlife, Queen Elizabeth II became very interested in the problems caused by plastic to Earth and decided to tackle the issue.
A first step was banning straws and bottles from the Royal estates, both in the public cafes and in staff dining rooms, which will now only be allowed to use recyclable paper cups, or china flatware. The new rules also impose to use compostable or biodegradable packaging for takeaway food items sold in the public cafes.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said that “the Royal Household is committed to reducing its environmental impact”. In fact, this is not the first step taken to tackle the issue: Charles, Prince of Wales, regularly speaks about the damage caused by plastic to the ocean and earlier this month met with a group formed by scientists, environmentalists and firms like Waitrose, PepsiCo UK, and Marks & Spencer, to discuss possible solutions.