Westbury should follow in the footsteps of a growing number of towns and go plastic-free says local resident and Westbury town councillor Jane Russ, who moved to Westbury from Oxfordshire two years ago. Jane says she was “horrified” by the lack of proper recycling in the Westbury area.
Inspired by the progress in other areas, Jane is encouraging the community to go beyond what is on offer from Wiltshire Council’s recycling services and make a difference for the environmental future of Westbury and beyond.
“Recycling of single-use plastics is a hot topic in the area, ever since the town councils in Glastonbury and Frome and Mendip District Council all declared themselves ‘single-use plastic free’ in December last year,” says Jane. “Could this be the way forward in Westbury?
“In the UK, we have a kerbside collection system but it seems to have plateaued in the last five years to only 57% of all plastics being recycled and there are changes afoot for Wiltshire, later in the year, to upgrade to ‘mixed’ recyclable collections.
“I’m not speaking as a Westbury town councillor here, but just as a private individual. I really noticed the difference when we moved; Oxfordshire recycles 47% of all recyclable waste and has the highest recycling rate in the whole country, including things like food waste, which is composted and sold back to householders for their gardens.
“It was such a shock to find I couldn’t even put all my plastic waste into the same box, only bottles. Instead we got some bins we keep outside for ‘other plastic’ and things like Tetrapaks and about every two to three weeks, my husband takes it to the tip in Warminster. This seems a really inefficient way to be dealing with this.
“I know it’s what you are used to and Westbury residents are used to what they know. However, we were in Oxfordshire when they went over to full recycling and people thought it would be awful. They thought there would be smelly bins (it was a two-week cycle) and no-one would know what went where, but in no time at all, it worked.
“However, in my personal view, if we are talking about single-use plastics, the most assured way of raising recycling levels for bottles seems to be offered by deposit return schemes.
“The purchaser pays a deposit on the bottle (10p – 20p) and receives the money back when they drop it into a machine at their local supermarket or community area; the machine reads a barcode and the type of plastic is registered. Just as in the 50s and 60s when you got money back on beer and ‘pop’ bottles, I think we’d find that a cash value to be had on drinks containers, would make them fly back to be reworked into the next generation of bottles.
“Sweden has been using this system, often called ‘reverse vending’ for over 30 years and has 90% recycling. In any community there will always be people who will recycle, but to get those that aren’t to recycle the remaining 40% of plastic that is going to waste, a cash motivation seems to do the trick.”
Tips to go
plastic free
To help with the movement for a plastic-free Westbury, here are some simple suggestions that could help make a big difference for the future of the planet.
Stop buying bottled water and purchase a reusable bottle that you can fill up before leaving the house.
For those who can’t go without their daily fix of caffeine from the local coffee shop, purchase a reusable coffee cup and refuse single-use take away cups.
Buy loose fruit and vegetables rather than produce in multi-packs with unnecessary plastic packaging holding the items together. Why not support your local market or greengrocer who often display and sell their produce as loose.
Try to resist using a plastic straw and refuse one when offered. If you do want to use a straw, ask for a paper one or buy a reusable one.
With the introduction of the 5p charge for the use of a plastic bag, most people are already avoiding plastic bags and using reusable ones, but it’s always good to make sure you have a bag before leaving the house.
