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It all started when the Queen agreed to work alongside fellow 91-year-old Sir David Attenborough on a conservation documentary dealing with wildlife in the Commonwealth.

She became personally interested in the damage to oceans caused by dumped plastic.

One thing led to another, and the Queen has now declared war on plastic, banning straws and bottles from the Royal estates.

Buckingham Palace has outlined new waste plans, which will include gradually phasing out plastic straws and bottles in public cafes and banning them altogether in staff dining rooms.

Internal caterers at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh will now only be allowed to use china plates and glasses, or recyclable paper cups.

Takeaway food items in the Royal Collection cafes must also now be made of compostable or biodegradable packaging.

As well as the Queen’s interest, The Prince of Wales also regularly speaks about the damage to the oceans caused by dumped plastic and recently warned that the world was facing an "escalating ecological and human disaster" from refuse in the seas.

Buckingham Palace is currently undergoing a 10-year refurbishment program which will make the royal residence far more green, The Telegraph reported.

Food & Drink Business

Independent beverage solutions provider, Refresco, has signed a 10-year prelease for the 25,500 square metre ground floor of Gateway Capital’s new multi-level industrial facility in Revesby, Sydney.

Queensland’s container refund scheme operator, Container Exchange (COEX), has announced an extension to payment terms for beverage manufacturers following industry consultation on the scheme’s pricing framework.

George Weston Foods has completed a $130 million redevelopment of its Tip Top Bakeries facility in Canning Vale, Western Australia. The upgrade follows a fire in October last year, which led to a temporary bread shortage across the state.