Chesterfield Liberal Democrats have pledged to seek to reduce single-use plastic waste across the Borough.

We are delighted that a campaign to make Chesterfield Plastic Free has been established and is thriving in the Town. We recognise that it is incumbent upon all of us to drive down the amount of plastic that is generated every day and each week.

The average UK home produces 1.1kg of waste every single day. Households can take some steps to reduce the amount of plastic they buy, but it comes down to retailers and producers taking action. Most of these powers lie with the Government, but we believe that local councils can help, and that Chesterfield Borough Council (CBC) can and should do more.

The Borough Council, as a large organisation that uses resources in the town, must itself reduce the amount of plastic it purchases. And require suppliers to move to plastic free provision, bespoke re-use schemes to encourage plastic use to be optimised before just recycling it. In this way Chesterfield can lead with re-use schemes for garden pots, drinks bottles, and ensure that plastic is not single use and that such schemes be provided across the Borough with the Borough Council leading by example. We recognise that retail chains have centralised decision-making processes, but we would urge the local and regional managers of locally based outlets to start this dialogue and take measures to reduce plastic use and facilitate more sustainable solutions. Where there are manufacturers and producers within the Borough, we will seek to work with them to support the mission of becoming plastic free.

Ed Fordham, Chesterfield Lib Dem spokesperson on Climate Change, explains that "by changing all our shopping habits and by working with retailers, suppliers and manufacturers Chesterfield can make real progress towards the objective of becoming Plastic Free. We believe that CBC can make a real difference to re-use, re-cycle and massively reduce the amount of plastic this Borough sends to landfill and into our eco-system. This will require leadership and partnership."

The Liberal Democrats have a longstanding commitment to protecting the environment, to reducing waste and ensuring that resources are re-used wherever possible. In Government the Liberal Democrats would end the export of plastics by 2030 and would implement a deposit return scheme.

Notes

1. Plastic Free Chesterfield are looking for organisations interested in reducing their single-use plastic whilst also supporting the aims and objectives of Plastic Free Chesterfield. To become a Plastic Free Ally, groups / organisations must take the Plastic Free Pledge. They must pledge to:

• remove single-use plastic from their group, e.g. if they hand out plastic cups at a group meeting - note: if they don't offer/use any single-use plastic, they qualify
• communicate their plastic free stance internally and externally, and
• support Plastic Free Chesterfield and plastic-free initiatives locally

From: www.plasticfreechesterfield.weebly.com

2. Have questions or need further info on this Pledge and our wider commitment to tackle the climate emergency ? Please contact Chesterfield Lib Dem spokesperson on Climate Change, Health and Wellbeing, Cllr Ed Fordham on 07974 950512 or at Ed.fordham@gmail.com

3. For more information about Plastic Free Chesterfield please contact their Community Lead, Greg Hewitt at info@plasticfreechesterfield.org.uk