Background
Dorset Council Single Use Plastic (SUP) Task Group
Dorset Council has a designated Single Use Plastic task group to focus on making changes within Dorset Council.
This group includes key representatives across the council including procurement, facilities, communications, Sustainability, property, estate & assets, waste (DWP) and environmental advice.
The group also has three Councillors within the membership. The work to reduce SUP is being coordinated by the hosted partnership Litter Free Dorset.
The issue
Single use plastics can be described as any disposable plastic item that is designed to be used only once.
Single-use plastics are often used in packaging, consumer products, cosmetics and healthcare.
Examples include: plastic bags, disposable utensils, beverage containers, balloons and wet wipes.
It is estimated that around 50% of plastic waste we produce globally is packaging that is used just once.
There are two key issues linked to this policy:
- Plastic pollution is litter. Plastic pollution is both a global and local issue that affects the natural and urban environment, the oceans, beaches and links to people’s health and wellbeing. Dorset has some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain, numerous designations including the Jurassic coast world heritage site, the Dorset and Cranborne Chase Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a highly designated coast and marine environment. All of which contribute greatly to the local economy and support a diverse range of habitats and species which are at risk due to plastic pollution. Plastic pollution from SUP found in our towns and villages impacts aesthetically but is also costly to clear up.
- Plastic is a major contributor to climate change. Chemicals derived from fossil fuel production are used to make almost all plastics. The more plastic made, the more petrochemicals are required, and the more petrochemicals required, the higher the demand for gas, oil and even coal. By reducing or removing SUP this will mean Dorset Council are helping to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, thereby reducing the CO2 in the atmosphere. This will support the Dorset Council climate change emergency work.
National policy
The UK Government published its 25-Year Environment Plan in January 2018, which includes a target of “achieving zero avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042”.
DEFRA’s new waste and resources strategy 2018/19 also sets out several plastic waste reduction reforms to help the Government achieve its ambitious plans for a greener future. Reducing SUP has become a priority for many local authorities across the UK and elsewhere.
The target of “removing SUP from government estate by 2020” highlighted in DEFRA’s new Waste and Resources Strategy requires all local authorities to take action immediately in order to meet the given 2020 target.
Challenges
Plastic is one of the most useful inventions in recent history. However, the current volume of plastic waste means it has also now become a pressing environmental challenge. Its low cost has encouraged the development of many SUP items:
- SUP is found in many products: medical supplies that cannot be reused for safety and hygiene reasons, cigarette filters containing plastic among other materials, chewing gums, disposable nappies, food packaging, balloons, cups, straws and many more
- the types of polymers used to produce some items are currently hard to recycle so they often end up in residual waste. The numbers of SUP items are high; the UK Government estimates that every year 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds end up in landfill
- items used ‘on-the-go’ are the most often littered, creating an environmental pollutant and removing the possibility of managing their end of life effectively
- when SUP items are not adequately captured and managed at their end of life, they represent a real threat to our ecosystems by degrading into tiny particles. Known as micro-plastics, they can contaminate the food web including being ingested by plankton