03/28/2024

Wales News Online

Local & National News for Wales

Lee Waters MS urges people to think twice about using single-use plastic

LEE Waters MS is calling on people to go plastic-free this July.

The month-long global initiative encourages people to reduce their single-use plastic waste on an everyday basis at home, in work, and in their communities. The campaign also provides a wealth of ideas on how to reuse and recycle plastics in creative ways where reductions are trickier.

Pledging to reduce his own plastic footprint, Mr. Waters argued “We’ve seen cleaner streets, beaches, sea’s and green spaces over the last few months, and it’s quite sad that it took a full-scale lockdown to do that.”

The Member of the Welsh Parliament for Llanelli went onto add  “We’re right up against it with regards to plastic waste in this area. I am really concerned that despite only coming out of full lockdown relatively recently, we’re already seeing facemasks, fast food waste, and plastics being littered around town more than ever. Having had a glimpse at what a more sustainable and environmentally friendly Llanelli  looks like, I believe we have to do better to clean up our act on this issue.”

Discussing the changes he would make this month, Lee said “As a minimum, no takeaway cups, plastic straws and shopping bags. I’ll also look to buy fruit and veg unpackaged, along with purchasing things locally rather than online with all the needless packaging that comes with it. I’ll also be helping to teach the kids how to cook and store food in bulk rather than building up the waste that comes with ready meals.”

The campaign has around 250 million annual participants in 177 different countries, and Wales will be looking to build on its reputation of being the second-best household recycler in the world. Proud of the work happening across the country, Lee Waters said “We’ve set ourselves a target of zero waste by 2050, but I hope this next month shows people that we can be more ambitious than that, and get there much earlier.”

To find out more about the Plastic Free July campaign and their motivational ideas, please visit: https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/

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