Plastics Pledge – sign up to protect the planet!

Eco Church Harborough, with support from Harborough District Council, is spearheading the innovative campaign urging Harborough residents and organisations to make a commitment to reduce their own reliance on single-use plastics.

And those behind the campaign say they want to get the whole town involved to inspire other towns and cities to follow suit.

The emphasis is very much on small actions making a big difference with pledges ranging from promises to re-use plastic bags, to buying loose fruit and vegetables, and using re-usable mugs and water bottles.

People are welcome to attend the official launch of the Harborough Plastic Pledge at Harborough Market, in Northampton Road, on Friday 25 January 2019 at 11am.

Canon Brian Davis, who is leading the campaign, said: “We all need to collectively reduce our reliance on single-use plastic. Eco Church Harborough alongside Harborough District Council have produced a simple ‘Harborough Plastic Pledge’ and hope that local people will sign up for as many of the pledges as possible.”

The Harborough Plastics Pledge, in full, is:

• I will responsibly recycle all I can, whenever I can.
• I will regularly use multi-use bags when I go shopping.
• I will try to re-use plastic bags and containers from food packaging
• I will use my own water bottle and re-usable mug and refuse plastic straws when I go to cafes, etc
• I will check plastic wrappers to see if they can be recycled through my local supermarket even if not accepted by Council recycling
• I will try to buy fresh food that has been locally grown / produced
• I will try to buy unwrapped ‘loose’ vegetables/fruit whenever practical, rather than those wrapped in plastic or plastic nets
• I will write to / email / contact local politicians to lobby them to do more to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics

By weight, there could be more plastic than fish in our oceans by the year 2050 [source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2016]. Headline facts such as this and recent TV shows such as the BBC’s Blue Planet 2 and Drowning in Plastic have brought home the environmental impact made by the sheer volume of plastics being used worldwide. This national coverage has led to a surge in popular opinion around the issue of recycling and single-use plastic, providing an opportunity for everyone to consider taking action in this area.

Canon Brian Davis added: “By filling in the pledge form, you’ll be taking action to use less plastic yourself, but you’ll also be adding your voice to our campaign. It all helps to show businesses and organisations in Market Harborough that their customers would love them to offer alternatives to plastic.”

Whilst Harborough District Council has an excellent record for recycling – as one of the top two best councils for recycling in the East Midlands – the local authority is still faced with the challenge of single-use black plastic, which can’t be recycled.

Cllr Neil Bannister, Leader of Harborough District Council, said: “We are very happy to support the pledge and I encourage others to do so. I think the more we can do as individuals or businesses to reduce the use of single use plastic the better. Harborough District Council has made some small changes with staff no longer using single-use plastic cups from its own premises and the Council is currently looking at what more we can do. I also recently attended a public discussion on the use of plastics where it was very clear there is a passion for all to do more to address this important environmental issue.”

To show your support for the pledge, visit Harborough Market on Friday 25 January 2019 from 11am to 4pm where you can find out more about the campaign and the changes you can make to reduce reliance on single-use plastics.