Agenda item

Proposed by:             Councillor Mike Jones-Pritchard

Seconded by:            Councillor John Lancaster

That this Council recognise the damage that waste plastics cause to the world wide environment, acknowledge that there are measures we can take now to reduce, or cease, our contribution to that contamination and damage and commit to becoming a “Plastic Free” City.

This Council resolves to start the process to becoming a Plastic-Free city by;

·         Supporting Plastic Free Coastlines, committing to plastic free alternatives and supporting plastic free initiatives within the City.  Setting the example and leading the way by removing single-use plastics from Council premises, encouraging plastic free initiatives and promoting the removal of single-use plastics elsewhere.

·         Working to encourage local businesses and retailers to stop using, and selling, single-use plastic items, replacing them with sustainable alternatives. 

·         Creating plastic-free community spaces in our parks, libraries, hybs, community and leisure centres. 

·         Working with stakeholders to create plastic-free schools, colleges and organisations.

·         Promoting or organising community events to remove plastic waste from our coastline and elsewhere.

·         Seeking to set up, with local businesses and community representatives, a stakeholders group to further this aim.

Examples of single use plastics and alternatives are;  

·         Paper instead of plastic straws,

·         Recyclable or reusable cups

·         Metal, compostable or other material instead of plastic cutlery

·         No single serve condiment sachets

·         Compostable or reuseable stirrers

·         Paper bags or wrapping instead of plastic

·         Reuseable bottles instead of throwaway plastic

·         Punched and bound papers instead of polypockets.

·         Seeking alternatives to laminating paper public notices for a non plastic option.

Opportunities;

·         Schools plastic free policy

·         Planning condition, perhaps with Welsh Government support, for inclusion in management or waste policies

·         Increase our percentage of recyclable waste, reduce incineration and landfill

·         Our offices, parks, hubs, schools, libraries, leisure centres, vehicles and thousands of staff

·         Our purchasing and influencing power with supplies, partners and stakeholders

·         Future Generations Act – this has to be one of the most compliant decisions that can possibly be made!