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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

Labor is supporting First Peoples businesses in Victoria to reach new world markets, with a delegation of First Peoples business owners on their way to the World Indigenous Business Forum in Canada.

Foodbank’s 2026 Hunger Report has confirmed what its report last year started to show – not only is one in three households not reliably able to afford food in the past year, but middle-income working households are driving the shift and fresh produce, protein and dairy are the first items cut from the basket.

Archie Rose Distilling Co. has moved its core whisky range into lighter bottles and redesigned packaging as the Sydney distiller prepares to enter the US, two months after actor Chris Hemsworth joined the business as co-owner.