Here's Why the UK is About to Ban Q-Tips

If Prime Minister Theresa May sticks to her plans, UK residents will need to find an alternative way to scrub their earlobes. May recently announced a pending ban on disposable, single-use items made from plastic, including drinking straws and cotton swabs, as Forbes reports.

The move is part of England's 25-Year Environmental Plan, a strategy developed to help reduce waste in the country's water bodies that’s proving harmful to animals and humans alike. A recent tax on plastic shopping bags intended to curb their use dropped bag circulation by 90 percent.

Johnson & Johnson, maker of Q-Tips, already announced a move to paper-made swabs in 2017. Fast-food chains that depend on disposable straws are also anticipating the ban: McDonald's, which is already utilizing recyclable plastic straws, will be rolling out paper straws in UK locations and advising employees to ask customers if they want one rather than just dropping it in the bag.

The ban, which is expected to be implemented as early as 2019, follows the example set by Queen Elizabeth II, who banned plastic straws from royal palaces in February. An estimated 8.5 billion straws are thrown away in the UK every year. In the United States, several cities—including Miami Beach, Florida; Malibu, California; and Seattle—have placed similar prohibitions on straws.