Shoppers joined in a plastic unwrap in Wilmslow on Saturday, 1st December, buying the products they needed but leaving the wrapping behind, and using paper bags or reusable containers instead.
Plastic Free Wilmslow is trying to get all businesses to cut the number of plastic items and switch to reusable items.
Andrew Backhouse, one of the people taking part, said "Lots of supermarket items are wrapped in plastic which may get recycled, but often goes to landfill, and is bad for the planet. Some supermarkets have made major steps, like leaving more fruit and veg unwrapped, and others are trying other wrapping ideas. Waitrose have started to make more vegetables available loose – but not yet providing paper bags instead of plastic.
"So what can we all do to push for less plastic? By leaving the shops to look after the plastic wrappings that were not needed is one obvious statement – and cheaper for us than giving more work to our council to collect and recycle. Andy buy more vegetables loose or packed in cardboard."
He added "Plastic Free Wilmslow has heard from a lot of people who want to put pressure on those who use unnecessary plastics. It was great to get lots of people taking action themselves this weekend. And staff from Waitrose were very helpful and positive about the action too."
Keith Chapman, Town Councillor and plastics manufacturer, also took part, and said "The industry wants to work with environmental groups like Plastic Free Wilmslow because we share the same objectives. We should reduce the use of plastic to the essential, and eliminate unnecessary outer packaging. This will deliver both a sustainable planet and a successful and valued plastics sector."
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As Chair of Plastic Free Wilmslow, I should also like to thank the management of the Waitrose store for hosting this event and for their very positive approach. If it were needed, it is a further demonstration of business awareness of our collective need - and consumer pressure - to encourage a substantial reduction if not total eradication of single use plastics.
Incidentally, Andrew did provide cardboard boxes to house stripped wrappings, so waste was not left in trolleys or baskets during the Unwrapping.
Wilmslow Town Council, who are backing our bid for Plastic Free status, have themselves made significant progress by auditing and replacing single use plastics, where possible. To give two examples, the Clerk now writes notes and minutes with a fountain pen rather than a plastic biro and has also found a source of re-useable cable ties.
The group continues to talk to businesses in and around the town to learn of the opportunities they have found to help promote practical plastic reduction.
Why? Well because plastic uses far less energy and water to produce than paper/cardboard, is lighter to transport, so uses less fuel and produces less greenhouse gasses as it does not biodegrade. It also helps increase the shelf life of produce, so totally removing it will increase food wastage.
However, it’s main drawbacks is that it does not biodigrade or recycle easily. Although, we have a massive problem in recycling paper and cardboard too, especially since China stopped taking much of our waste.
So plastics main problem is that it does not biodigrade. Some limited progress is happening on making it biodigradeable but it still has a long way to go.
Therefore, it depends on what shade of green you want to be. If biodegradability is everything, then remove all single use plastic. However, if reducing food wastage, greenhouse gases and water usage are important to you, then keep plastic.
Ultimately though, I think a blend of the two will give us the most environmentally friendly solution. But we won’t get this if we only strive for a totally plastic free society.
These green-houses in Almeria (an almost desert-like area) are where OUR supermarket vegetables now come from.
I believe that the whole episode is available on iplayer, this is just a short extract.
https://www.facebook.com/bbc/videos/2076354785761504?sfns=1
We seem to have gone backwards rather than forwards