Tesco and Sainsbury's ban plastic cotton buds to cut waste

UK's two largest supermarket chains will replace the plastic stems with paper ones in all own-brand products by the end of 2017

The UK's two largest supermarket chains have committed to end the sale of cotton buds with plastic stems, which are the most common litter from toilets flushed on to the country's beaches.

Both Tesco and Sainsbury's will replace the plastic stick with paper by the end of 2017 in their own-brand products.