Council under fire over plastics
Employers can help
The University of Stirling, NHS Forth Valley and Prudential – the city’s biggest commercial employer – have all pledged to limit the amount of single-use plastic they use.
The Observer reported on Friday that Stirling Council had come underfire for the amount of single-use drinks bottles, straws, cutlery and cups they purchased between March 2017 and February 2018.
Freedom of Information figures revealed that 466,000 plastic drinks bottles, 380,000 pieces of plastic cutlery, 93,404 plastic cups and 4750 plastic straws had been bought for use in all local authority buildings, facilities and schools.
In response they said that they were committed to reducing their use of single-use plastics and revealed that plastic cups and straws are being phased out of use across all buildings while they are also in the process of removing plastic cutlery from schools.
Single-use-plastics are used once before being disposed of and serious concerns have been highlighted about the negative impact they are having on the planet.
As detailed in David Attenborough’s BBC documentary Blue Planet II these items are causing major problems to the world’s oceans, sea birds and larger marine creatures.
It is claimed that more than eight million tonnes of plastics enter the seas each year, and most man-made plastics are not biodegradable and will not rot.
There are also fears about the amount of these materials which are polluting the land after being used and then discarded.
Zero Waste Scotland estimate that around 15,000 tonnes of plastic bottles are sent to landfill in Scotland alone each year.
Now some of Stirling’s biggest employers say they are taking steps to limit the disposable plastic they use.
NHS Forth Valley confirmed that patient meals are served with metal cutlery and ceramic crockery, while disposable cups made of cardboard are available.
The University of Stirling say that they have schemes in place to reward those who use their own reusable containers and straws, takeaway cutlery and takeaway containers provided in the Students’ Union are biodegradable.
Prudential have withdrawn disposable coffee cups from all staff kitchens and provided employees with reusable water bottles to limit the number of plastic cups used.
Several Stirling area politicians have also outlined their stance on the issue – and they are all united in their opposition to the harmful materials. Green MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Mark Ruskell believes some simple steps should be taken by employers to cut down on the harmful materials.
The politician said:“Marine plastics are a huge pollution problem that I have been pushing the Scottish Government to take action on – from fishing nets to the millions of plastic microfibres that wash out from clothing.
“There is so much employers can do to phase out single use items like straws while charging less for drinks if customers bring a re-usable coffee cup for example.
“The council should get fully behind the national deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans.
“So far the council has been worried that a deposit return scheme will reduce the amount of plastic bottles they collect in the blue bins, but we need to move beyond a throwaway society and start getting more value from our waste while cutting down on the amount
In a special feature on single-use plastic some of the area’s biggest employers have told the Observer what they plan to do to limit their use of the harmful material. Prudential, the University of Stirling and NHS Forth Valley are all looking to cut back on their single-use plastic intake, while politicians are also showing a united front on the issue.
we produce in the first place.” Alasdair Tollemache, Greens councillor for Dunblane and Bridge of Allan, is backing Stirling Council in their bid to phase out some singleuse plastic items. He said:“I fully support the review being undertaken by the council in the use of single use plastic. “It would be great if the council could take the lead and phase out this use as quickly as possible.”