Uckfield’s war on single-use plastic stepped up
Our station partners Brighter Uckfield are stepping up efforts to get townspeople to kick the single-use plastic habit.
They are hosting two public meetings at the Civic Centre later on 27 March to push home its message.
Volunteer Martin Barnett said Brighter Uckfield was acutely aware of the presence of discarded single-use plastic through its litter picking efforts across the town.
Volunteer efforts
He said: “Despite the efforts made by our volunteers to rid the town of litter, the problem does not go away.
“Last year Brighter Uckfield was approached by a children’s books author and environmental scientist, a one-time resident of Uckfield, to encourage us to take the initiative towards making Uckfield a plastic free town.”
‘If just 1 in 10 Brits refilled once a week we’d have 340 million fewer plastic bottles a year in circulation’ (source, Refill.org)
The group concluded there was a need for community commitment and won the support of Uckfield Town Council, which is phasing out single-use plastic in its offices, Luxfords restaurant and throughout the Civic Centre.
The presentations will be on Wednesday, March 27, at 12.30 and 5.30pm.
Mood swing
Mr Barnett commented: “There is a definite public mood-swing following the screening of various documentaries during the last year or so and some businesses and retailers are making changes to meet public demands.
“I was recently invited to be the guest speaker at an Uckfield Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting and was able to, politely, challenge those in attendance to ‘audit’ their use of plastic in their working environment and make changes where possible.
Out of control
“It is becoming more and more evident that the impact of plastic on our environment is completely out of control; in the oceans, in landfill and on the land itself.
“It is no longer enough to dutifully dispose of plastic in our recycling bins, we have to reduce the amount of single use plastic in circulation.”
Plastic free Uckfield
Mr Barnett added: “Brighter Uckfield can’t do this on their own. Plastic Free Uckfield should be a community venture and we would like others to join us in developing this initiative.
“Education is an important factor in making any changes, so we are inviting all schools in the town to send a representative. We are also inviting other organisations that are influential in our town.
“Finally: If everyone makes just one change to their routine, then the town will make one large step towards the rejection of single use plastic.”
How to do your bit
- Reject plastic wrapping wherever possible.
- Why buy bottled water? Use refill schemes wherever possible.
- Don’t drop litter; plastic waste can find its way into streams and rivers and eventually the oceans.
- Look in your recycle bins and see what can be rejected altogether.
