The latest move by Queen Elizabeth II demonstrates an environmentally-conscious attitude. The Queen has created a new waste-reduction plan across all royal estates, which includes banning plastic straws, cups, takeaway containers and bottles.
It is believed that the Queen was inspired to create a more sustainable royal household after working on a documentary about wildlife in the Commonwealth with naturalist Sir David Attenborough. A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: “across the organisation, the royal household is committed to reducing its environmental impact. As part of that, we have taken a number of practical steps to cut back on the use of plastics”, News AU reports.
Plastic cups, straws, takeaway containers and bottles will be phased out of public cafes and staff dining areas before being banned completely. These will then be replaced with biodegradable or compostable alternatives. Those living and working in Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh will be limited to glass, crockery and recyclable cups.
The Queen’s applaudable plan comes after the EU announced a goal for all plastic in Europe to be made reusable or recyclable by 2030. The Queen’s son, Prince Charles, has often spoken publicly of environmental issues, including the harm plastic garbage causes to the ocean. In 2017, he urged world leaders to prioritise protecting marine environments, even referring to the Great Barrier Reef in his argument. “The fact that significant portions of the Great Barrier Reef on Australia’s eastern coast have been severely degraded or lost over the last few years is both a tragedy and also, I would have thought, a very serious wakeup call,” he said.
