The challenge of helping Plymouth to become ‘plastic free’ has always been a partnership effort.
In December 2017 Environment Plymouth members joined the Plastic Free Communities project being run by Surfers Against Sewage and began the task of gaining their recognised accreditation for action on avoidable plastic.
This was supported by the Council’s commitment in January 2018 and by the launch of the Plan for Plastics in June 2018, the Code of Conduct in July 2019 and the Plastics Task Group.
By June 2018 ‘Plastic Free’ status had been gained by the city’s waterfront and, by June 2019, the status had been extended to the whole of the city; the biggest community in the UK to gain the status to date and one of only 73 in the UK.
This doesn’t mean you won’t see plastic anywhere, but rather it is a reflection of the commitment of nearly 300 local communities, individuals, businesses and schools to do something about the problem and to protect our blue green environment here in the city. We have already made pledges to eliminate over 80 different plastic products from every day use; from water bottles to hard hats, trained over 200 representatives and run numerous events across the city, from Woolwell to the Waterfront. We still have a long way to go but our lists are growing all the time.
For more details on the Plastic Free Plymouth project, visit the Environment Plymouth website where a full programme of events, workshops and case studies will be available. Further advice and assistance is available from our local SAS Community Lead on info@environmentplymouth.org, who is available for talks and presentations in person or online.
