Futures Forum: Make Sidmouth plastic free > meeting Thursday 22nd February > press release
The Herald reports:
Public meeting to make Sidmouth plastic free
PUBLISHED: 06:55 13 February 2018
Members of the newly formed Sidmouth Plastic Warriors group met for their first beach clean
A community group with a focus on the future is hosting a public meeting on ways to cut plastic use in the Sid Valley.
The announcement follows in the wake of several key campaigns, including the beach cleans by Sidmouth in Bloom’s Sidcombers, Surfers against Sewage and the newly formed Sidmouth Plastic Warriors group.
The Futures Forum of the Vision Group for Sidmouth is bringing people together in the Unitarian Church at 7pm on Thursday, February 22.
Robert Crick, who will chair the meeting, said: “Plastic waste on our beaches has doubled over the last decade. Other towns have initiated town-wide schemes to reduce plastic. Could this be an initiative for Sidmouth to adopt?”
Sidmouth Town Council is planning to install water fountains and a number of businesses are looking at ways to reduce their use of plastic, such as by offering free water refills.
Ahead of the meeting, the Sidmouth Plastic Warriors are staging a clean-up around Woolbrook from 2pm to 3pm tomorrow (Saturday).
Organiser Denise Bickley said: “It would be great to get as many people as possible involved as the rubbish around Woolbrook ends up in the River Sid and in the drains and runs directly into the sea. Waitrose and Lidl are both involved and will be cleaning up their direct areas, which is fantastic, and we are very grateful to them.
“We can do all the clean-ups we can but the situation will not improve without real meaningful changes to both our mindset and our shopping habits.
“This needs all members of the community to engage and think about their own impact, which we hope to encourage in a positive, non-judgemental way.
“We are also engaging with the children and young people of the town through the youth centre and schools in order to get attitudes across our community to shift, and consequences of plastic littering and over-packaging to be thought about.”
The group will meet after the meeting to discuss setting up a bank account to apply for funding for different initiatives. Denise said cafes and pub will be welcome to attend to discuss their role and how to push forward with the plastic-free Sidmouth plan without punishing small businesses.
Search for Sidmouth Plastic Warriors on Facebook for more information.
Public meeting to make Sidmouth plastic free | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
And here is the Express & Echo:
'Plastic Free Sidmouth' meeting planned
DevonLive.com has joined Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) to launch Plastic Free Devon
Daniel Clark
12 FEB 2018
The Futures Forum of the Vision Group for Sidmouth will be holding a meeting later this month to facilitate the bringing about of a ‘Plastic Free Sidmouth’.
This follows in the wake of several key campaigns in the Sid Valley, including the beach cleans by Sidmouth in Bloom’s Sidcombers, Surfers Against Sewage and the Sidmouth Plastic Warriors.
READ MORE
Top Exeter club bans 'harmful' plastic straws
And it comes as DevonLive.com is joining Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) to launch Plastic Free Devon - a rallying cry to every town, business and individual in the county to help us win the war against environmentally harmful plastics.
Sidmouth beach
SAS want to create 125 Plastic Free communities by 2020 and as part of the Plastic Free Devon campaign, we want to see every town in Devon working this status, by appointing a leader and working up an action plan.
Exeter Greens lead the fight
Diana Moore, Green Party candidate for St David's ward said: "In Exeter single use plastic that is not recycled is sent for incineration, adding to air pollution or it finds its way into our streets, green spaces, our River and Canal and then out into the sea.
"The effects plastic is having on our oceans and sea life has been reinforced again this week with a new study suggesting plastic pollution is having a devastating impact on sharks, whales and rays. I'd like to see Exeter City Council lead the way on becoming a single-use-plastic free city."
Exeter Green Party councillor Chris Musgrave will be inviting other parties to back a motion for the City Council to ban all single use plastics used at the Civic Centre, other Council venues and at council organised events, and work with other organisations across the city to drastically reduce single use plastic.
The call comes in the wake of Green Party councillors in other districts having successfully achieving cross-party backing for motions to ban single use plastics and the huge public concern raised by the highly popular BBC series Blue Planet 2.
DevonLive.com and Surfers Against Sewage have teamed up to encourage plastic-free communities
READ MORE
Plastic Free Devon launches today as we join Surfers Against Sewage in the war on waste
On Thursday, February 22, there will be a public meeting to look at how Sidmouth could take a plastic free project forward – starting 7pm at the Leigh Browne Room of the Dissenters’/Unitarian Church Hall, opposite the Hospital.
It will be hosted by the Futures Forum of the Vision Group for Sidmouth and will be chaired by Robert Crick. He said: “Plastic waste on our beaches has doubled over the last decade. Other towns have initiated town wide schemes to reduce plastic. Could this be an initiative for Sidmouth to adopt?”
SAS has Communities working towards Plastic Free Status in:
Plastic Free Appledore
Plastic Free Braunton
Plastic Free Bideford
Plastic Free Croyde
Plastic Free Exeter
Plastic Free Great Torrington
Plastic Free Ivybridge
Plastic Free Plymouth
Plastic Free Teignmouth
Plastic Free Torridge
Plastic Free Westward Ho!
Plastic Free Ashburton
Plastic Free Dartmouth
Plastic Free Sidmouth
These locations contribute to over 180 nationally working towards Plastic Free Status. At this stage, it will be best to use the campaign to urge communities to register to be part of the movement. On top of this we have a really strong community engagement in Devon, last year we had 140 beach cleans with over 4200 people volunteering to take part.
Meanwhile, the Plastic Warriors will be having another plastic clean up on Saturday, February 17, around the Woolbrook area, starting and finishing at the Youth Centre, 2 to 3pm: join the group on Facebook.
Their group’s founder Denise Bickley says: “We have lots of big ideas in the Sidmouth Plastic Warriors group and are keen to discuss the way forward at the public meeting on the 22nd.”
DevonLive.com and Surfers Against Sewage have teamed up to encourage plastic-free communities
READ MORE
Is it possible to live without plastic for a week?
Sidmouth Town Council is going to be installing water fountains, and more businesses are looking at their use of plastic – including offering a free refill of water bottles.
'Plastic Free Sidmouth' meeting planned - Devon Live
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