Plastic cutlery and plates could be among items banned in Britain as the government looks at ways to stem the tide of synthetic waste polluting the seas.

Environment chiefs are offering a £19,000 contract to experts to assess the economic, social and environmental effects of outlawing their sale, together with straws and plastic balloon sticks.

It comes five weeks after the European Commission announced plans to ban single-use cutlery, plates, straws, cotton buds, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks by 2021 under a new drive to reduce marine pollution.

The commission is proposing a ban on 10 products that, together with discarded plastic fishing gear, account for 70 per cent of all marine litter.

Critics have previously said the UK is “shamefully lagging behind” France when it comes to government action on plastic knives, forks, spoons, plates and cups.

In 2016, France became the first country to outlaw such items, although the law will not come into effect until 2020.

The new contract announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) states: “Single-use plastics, including plastic plates, plastic cutlery and plastic balloon sticks may have significant negative impacts on the general environment when they are discarded after use.

“The government wishes to assess what the economic impacts of introducing regulations banning these items in England would be and weighing these impacts against the resultant environmental benefits.”

Suppliers, who have until Friday to bid, will be asked to look at “the impact on businesses, both domestic manufacturers and those that either use or sell them, including imported plastics; and the costs of using alternative materials for these products”.

Evidence of the damage caused by plastic is undisputed. Campaign group Plastic Oceans Foundation says humans are now producing 150m tons of single-use plastic every year, more than 8m of which are dumped into the sea. Half of all plastic is used just once before being thrown away.

And more than five trillion pieces of plastic – largely derived from food and drink packaging as well as clothing – are floating in the world’s oceans, damaging every part of the food chain, according to international research published in journal PLOS One in 2014.

Last month, scientists from the University of Hull and Brunel University London found that microplastics consumption by people eating seafood in the UK was likely to be “common and widespread”.

European officials want to create a market for recycled plastics and prompt investment in new types of packaging.

Defra’s 25-year environment strategy announced in January identified a target of “eliminating all avoidable plastic waste by 2042”, and ran a consultation from March to May on tackling the use of all disposable plastic items.

The submissions are being analysed now and will influence proposals due to be published later this year, a Defra spokesman told The Independent.

Ministers have not acted on calls by MPs on the Defra committee for a 25p “latte levy” to be added to all disposable coffee cups that contain plastic, with the revenue going towards improving recycling facilities.

Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Show all 6 1 /6 Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic water bottle for a reusable beverage container Instead of continually buying drinks in plastic bottles you can switch to a reusable beverage container and reduce your single-use of plastics. Selfridges' Bobble 550ml filtered water bottle costs £12.95 and includes a replaceable carbon filter that filters water as you drink, removing chlorine and organic contaminants in the process. You can buy it from selfridges.com Getty/Selfridges Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Coffee cup for a Travel coffee mug It is estimated that the UK throws away around 2.5bn disposable coffee cups a year and almost all are incinerated, exported or sent to landfill because their plastic lining makes them expensive to recycle. The new Latte Levy in the UK means there will now be a 25p charge on every disposable coffee cup bought by consumers. Pret A Manger announced that it will double its discount to 50p in an effort to reduce waste. By swapping to a reusable cup you will be able to help cut the cost of disposable coffee cups. This Keep Cup Brew, cork edition, travel cup in Fika is just one of the many available to purchase. It fits under most commercial coffee machines, is splash-proof and ideal for transporting your coffee whilst on the go. You can buy this particular cup for £19.99 from trouva.com. Getty/Trouva Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic bags for reusable cloth bags An eco-friendly alternative to an ordinary plastic bag is this lightweight shopping bag. It comes with a practical pillowcase pocket and features a black and white ink splatter design. Convenient and durable it also has a matte black spring clip to attach it where you need it. You can buy this from paperchase.co.uk for just £5.00. Getty/Paperchase Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Coffee pods for a pot of coffee Cut your plastic coffee pod usage with a cafetiere. This Barista and Co, 3 Cup Gold Cafetiere, from Habitat offers a simple way to brew and serve in style. Made from borosilicate glass and plated stainless steel with an ergonomically designed handle, the cafetiere is built to last and a pleasure to use; a fine metal filter produces a smooth coffee that retains its natural oils. You can buy it for £30 from habitat.co.uk. Getty/Habitat Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Balloons for eco-friendly decorations Instead of using plastic balloons at your party try swapping them for some eco-friendly bunting. Handmade in Scotland, the bunting comprises thirteen brightly coloured pennants which spell out the words 'Happy Birthday', and uses lettering that has been printed onto 100 per cent recycled card. Included is 11ft of natural jute twine to hang the pennants on, and everything comes packaged in a cello bag. You can buy this bunting from Little Silverleaf on notonthehighstreet.com for £12.50. Getty/notonthehighstreet Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic straw for a reusable bamboo one Swap plastic straws for reusable ones made of bamboo. These straws are handmade in Bali and crafted by local balinese artisans. Made of organic and natural materials they are the best eco-friendly alternative to plastic, steel or glass straws. You can purchase them from Bali Boo on Amazon.co.uk for £13.99. PA/Bali Boo/Amazon

However, they do intend to ban plastic straws, drink-stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds, and are consulting on the introduction of a deposit-return scheme for single-use bottles.

Nearly 20,000 people have signed a petition calling for the UK to follow France and ban non-compostable plastic items. It says: “In doing so we will be promoting a ‘circular economy’ of waste disposal, from product design to recycling”.

The petition points out: “Aside from ecosystem disruption, millions of barrels of oil are used every year in manufacturing plastic bags and utensils, playing what environmental activists call a significant role in climate change.”

Last month Network Rail announced it will ban retailers from supplying plastic cutlery and cups in stations from 2020, as well as setting up a coffee-cup recycling scheme and expanding coffee-grounds recycling in station coffee shops.

In response to the new research contract, WWF's head of marine, Dr Lyndsey Dodds said: “Our throwaway culture has to end. Plastic is choking our oceans and overwhelming wildlife. And it’s only getting worse as the amount of plastic the UK throws away is set to rocket by over a million tonnes by 2030 if nothing is done.

"The UK government must act by banning avoidable single-use plastic by 2025, including difficult-to-recycle items such as black plastic.