Glasgow City Council has launched its Plastics Reduction Strategy, which aims to fully phase out the use of single-use plastics by 2022.
The strategy’s 24-point action plan for reduction of plastic waste follows a public consultation on plastics reduction earlier in 2019, which received more than 1,500 individual responses. Glasgow City Council’s long term goal is to end entirely the use of plastic where a more sustainable material can be substituted, with a target of ending unnecessary plastic use by 2030.
Andy Waddell, Director of Operations for Glasgow City Council’s Neighbourhoods and Sustainability Department, said: “Plastic has become [an] ever present feature of modern life and it has any number of vital applications. From medical equipment to car safety features, computers and wheelie bins, plastic shows its usefulness time and time again – but we do live in a throwaway society and we do take for granted the impact that flows from treating so many plastic products as instantly disposable. The Plastics Reduction Strategy is therefore about seeking alternatives to plastic but also an alternative approach to how we use plastic itself.”
Key actions outlined in the Glasgow Plastics Reduction Strategy include:
- Developing Glasgow’s first wholly plastic-free shopping zone;
- Implementing a citywide ban on certain single-use plastic items, such as takeaway cups;
- Becoming a signatory to the Eurocities commitment to prevent littering and the proliferation of plastic waste; and
- Providing increased council support to projects which actively remove plastic waste from waterways around Glasgow.
Waddell added: “Plastic clearly has its place, but aiming to end the unnecessary use of plastic will have a significant positive impact on the environment. There is already a huge amount of scope for our habits to change and technology is changing so quickly that our norms will be transformed in the years ahead. The action plan sets a course for rapid change in the initial stages and we intend to update our plans on a regular basis. This will help us gather momentum but also refine and strengthen the strategy over its lifespan. The action[s] proposed in the strategy can help Glasgow maintain its position in the UK and across Europe as a leading local authority on sustainability issues.”
