Labour Council’s plastic waste measures don’t go far enough, say Greens
Response to campaign for plastic free city a step in the right direction but slow progress holds city back
28/3/18
Greens have called for stronger action on plastic waste, urging the Labour Council to act swiftly to prevent more plastic pollution. A successful proposal from the Greens in November last year called on the Council to introduce a range of measures to end the use of single-use plastics (SUPs) in Brighton and Hove, including introducing new criteria to ensure events in the city go ‘plastic free.’ [1]
A report coming to Policy, Resources and Growth Committee this week (Thursday, March 29th) details the initial response of the Labour Council but largely includes updates on plans to address single-use plastics waste in council buildings. [2]
Greens called the measures a step in the right direction but have criticised the Labour Council for slow progress on the issue, arguing that current measures, focused mainly on Council buildings, ‘do not go far enough.’
Convenor of the Green Group of Councillors, Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty commented:
“Measures focused on single-use plastic circulation inside Council buildings are welcome. However more than five months after Greens were successful in calling for a plastic-free city, we are concerned to see the city will wait until at least July before news on a whole range of other crucial proposals, such as preventing single-use plastics from being used at city events and ending the purchase of SUPs in the supply chain. There are plenty of businesses and organisations in our city already leading the way.
“With summer fast approaching, we urgently need decisive action, particularly if we are to curb the use of plastics at events. The recent Brighton Marathon led to complaints about plastic water bottles polluting the sea. Greens are reaching out to organisers of major events like Pride – and urging the Labour Council to go further. We also repeat our call for Labour to do more to tackle the restrictive contract with waste company Veolia that prevents recycling of these items. The city and our environment will pay a huge price for each day that passes without significant progress on Single Use Plastics.” [3]
–ENDS–
Notes for Editors:
[1] Wording of the Green Group Notice of Motion, passed unanimously in full Council November 2017 http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/Published/C00000117/M00006616/AI00064171/$Item42cGrnGrpSingleUsePlasticsv5Final.docxA.ps.pdf
This Council resolves to:
Request that a report be brought to Policy, Resources and Growth Committee on the options for bringing an end to the use of unnecessary Single Use Plastics (SUP) in Brighton and Hove, taking account of the following measures to:
- a) enable Brighton and Hove City Council to become a full signatory of the ‘Plastic Free Pledge’, by phasing out the use of unnecessary SUPs in all City Council buildings, and working with commissioning partners to end the purchase and procurement of SUPs through the BHCC supply chain;
- b) encourage the city’s businesses, organisations and residents to go ‘plastic free,’ working with best practice partners in the city to explore the creation of a ‘plastic free network,’ that could provide business support, practical guidelines and advice to help local businesses transition from SUPs to sustainable alternatives;
- c) to incentivise traders on Council land to sell re-usable containers and invite customers to bring their own, with the aim of phasing out SUPs; including investigating the possibility of requiring food and drink vendors to avoid SUPs as a condition of their event permission, strengthening the existing Sustainable Event Commitment Form and guidance circulated to exhibitors and traders
[2] Policy, Resources and Growth Committee report 29th March 2018: ‘Phasing Out Single Use Plastics.’ http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/Published/C00000912/M00006708/$$ADocPackPublic.pdf
[3] Unnecessary (i.e. excluding medical items) Single-Use Plastics (SUP) used once before disposal e.g. bottles, cups and straws, are not widely recycled. Studies from Columbia University show SUPs can take up to 600 years to degrade, breaking into fragments that cause damage to the environment and permeate the food chain. Recent studies found that 72% of U.K tap water samples were contaminated with plastic fibres, and a third of all fish caught off the British coast contained plastic.