Stafford council calls to reduce use of plastic
Stafford Borough councillors have backed calls to eradicate single use plastic goods.
The authority was urged to actively promote the reduction of single use plastic products – as well as encouraging the borough’s communities to do the same – at a full council meeting on Monday.
Councillor Aidan Godfrey, who put the motion forward, also called for a previous decision to work towards becoming carbon neutral by 2040 to be revisited.
He said: “Everyone else seems to think 2030 is the proper way to go – it should be well before 2030 it seems to me.
“This council saw fit to put 10 years on a figure other people thought was sound. This figure is absolutely outrageous – all I can think is Stafford Borough Council wants to be different. We should be looking at it again.”
But the target date for Stafford Borough Council to become carbon neutral was not changed at Monday’s meeting – although the motion put forward by Councillor Godfrey received widespread support.
The motion said: “As members will know, many towns and cities around the country have begun to look seriously at what can be done locally to help reduce the amount of plastic being used.
“We have all seen the devastating impact plastic waste has on our environment. It is now mainstream thinking that we should drastically reduce the amount of plastic we use, much of which is ultimately discarded into our ecosystems.”
Councillor Tony Pearce, who seconded the motion, said: “I hope this is an issue we can all agree on. I think these days most people are aware of the damage that has been done by use of plastics and some action is starting to be taken.”
Councillor Jonathan Price, cabinet member for environment and health, said measures were already being taken locally to reduce plastic waste – including reusable water bottles being issued to the authority’s Streetscene team.
He added: “As we know plastics have been high on the national agenda. Significant steps have been taken to reduce plastic waste.
“Stafford Borough is one of the top 20 areas in the country for plastic recycling – much higher than other authorities such as Birmingham city council.”
