Michael Gove has announced a ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds in England from April 2020 in a bid to make sure that "our seas are cleansed of this scourge". In addition, the environment secretary said, "packaging that doesn't include a minimum amount of recycled content will be taxed", and that the government is exploring alternatives to plastic. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn