Plastic Free Action Group
Ideas discussed by the public at the Climate Emergency meeting on 7th October 2019:
Data performance indicators
- Publish and trend waste data from Biffa and other waste companies serving Faringdon
- Plastic audit – can we attract a plastic recycling plant to Faringdon through the town plan based on the data?
- Should we get expert advice from the Vale?
What can we eliminate?
- First priority is to eliminate the use of plastic to reduce CO2 from the lifecycle of plastics – oil extraction, manufacturing, transportation, etc
- Plastic bag ban
- Why sell reusable plastic bags when we could use paper or string bags?
- Suggestion for local craft club/community group to make and sell string bags
- Cling film ban
- Pasta straws to replace plastic and paper
- Encourage sale of packaging free alternatives
- Shampoo Bars, Shaving Bars
- Can we demonstrate demand for such product to encourage shops to stock these products locally
- Plastic water bottle elimination
- FCC are installing water fountains
- There were concerns that they were removed from schools due to legionella but that may be old news with new designs of water fountains.
- Is it only FCC? Why not the other academy schools?
- Ban plastic bottles in the Faringdon academy?
- FCC are installing water fountains
How can we reduce?
- Reduce single-use plastics
- Costa cups
- Stay grounded do a reusable cup
- Faringdon council could provide a returnable cups from its offices or sell them to raise funds to support environmental projects
- Encourage traders to use bio-degradable cellulose packaging
- Influence by refusing trading licenses to those that use plastics and cannot show reduction at renewal?
- Reduce need for plastic water bottles
- Faringdon have plans to install a water fountain at the pump house
- Investigate the “refill” App
- Map of water points in shops etc
- Add council building to the app take the lead, encourage other outlets
- Resurrect the Faringdon refill project
- Scoop/Bulk Buy shops/Refill shops
- Faringdon unwrapped
- Popular but some did not know where it was when it was open – education.
- Stay grounded has small but unadvertised outlet – focus is a café.
- Lechlade have a dedicated shop,so has Wantage and Cirencester
- Question raised over the sustainability of the small business model for low value bulk sales.
- Suggestion for town council to write to large stores in the area on the subject of excess plastic packaging used in stores.
- Waitrose and Sainsburys have trial stores addressing this
- Botley waitrose is a refil trial store
- Remove micro plastics from washing machines
- Investigate a local outlet for ‘CORA’ balls
- Commission art using waste plastics to raise awareness
- Faringdon collage with bottle tops by a local artist?
- Public workshop on how to run a low plastics household – Plastic audits to learn best practise
- Educate: Residents need to follow appropriate instructions for recycling nappies in black bin and not recycling bin.
- Encourage people to leave packaging instore and avoid to take it home.
How can we influence young people
- Support local teen group organising themselves into an environmental group to attract speakers and expert advice
- Faringdon town council could connect with shops, companies, organisations and regulators
- Investigate the surfers against sewerage “Plastic free communities” initiative