Local Council to Ban Single Use Plastics From Its Premises

Hunstanton Town Council aims to lead the change on reducing single-use plastics by going plastic free in 2020.

Single-use plastics are to be phased out from all the council’s premises from the 1st February.

The UK Government has already confirmed a ban on plastic straws, drinks stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds that will be coming into effect in England from April 2020. A spokesperson for HTC stated, ‘We are putting our plan into action early to give businesses an opportunity to find alternatives before the holiday season. We are also taking our policy further than the Government and aim to ban all single-use plastics on our premises including disposable water bottles. A full list of banned items can be found on the HTC website and details will be sent to all venue hirers.’

HTC declared a climate emergency in 2019 and has since implement several new policies to address climate change and single-use plastic pollution. The Environment Panel, formed in the latter half of 2019, has already tackled cigarette litter by installing a Ballot Voting Bin, sponsoring Hunstanton’s first highly successful Vegan Fair and a range of environmentally friendly products are now on sale at the Tourist Information Centre. New recycling bins have been installed on all council premises and they are working closely with other organisations within the town to develop new strategies.

Cllr. Amanda Knight, chair of the Environment Panel said, “The council already works in partnership with projects such as Refill to help reduce single-use plastic within the town. As a council we have a commitment to the environment and our policies need to reflect this.”

It has been acknowledged that some single-use plastics can be made available when it is essential for medical reasons or disability.