Sue and I met when we both volunteered to be part of a BBC report on recycling in the community. We came with different approaches (Sue had been making her own cleaning and beauty products for years and has great interest in plastic alternatives. I was just back from a year of travel, appalled at the plastic pollution I’d seen, smacked by the realization that the use of this needed to change). Our goal however was the same: No more single-use plastic. Less waste. Think more.
But, what could we do?! What could we do to achieve this goal? And so our Bracknell Less Plastic group was born.
At first, the group consisted of our friends who had been ‘invited’ (forced!) to join. Gradually the group grew. 100+, 200+ and now we are at 300+ with daily new members. Fantastic!
Crucially though, the interactivity of the group has increased. We love it when members share their eco tips and ideas. When you ask questions about uncertainty over recycling and when you share snippets you have seen on other sites. We hope this continues and that Bracknell Less Plastic becomes a well known go-to for all things eco within our community.
So, as the group continues to grow we sat down and thought. What next? The next steps are daunting. There is so much work to be done that it’s almost impossible to pinpoint where to start.
That’s when we found the Surfers Again Sewage guidance. We have registered ourselves as working towards being a Plastic Free Community and are committed to making changes within the borough to reach this goal.
Don’t be put off. We are not under illusions grand enough to think that Bracknell will become completely plastic free. The focus is avoiding throwaway plastics, excessive plastic use and critically single-use plastic.
We will be providing group members with individual action ideas on how they can reduce their waste. Lots of you have asked for these ideas already, which is so encouraging. We will be speaking to local businesses to gauge their interest in using less plastic. We will be promoting those that make efforts to support their commitment and hope that you will support them too! We will also be talking to local community groups to see their approach to plastic responsibility and hopefully guiding them in the right direction.
We met with a fellow keen recycler last week to discuss our plans. This was the first time we’d been referred to as activists! I guess that’s what we are – we want change. Change that will become normality. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more strongly about anything in my life!
A huge task stretches in front of us, but this is necessary and we are keen to get going. Please contact us if you’d like to become more involved in our efforts. We would love to build a key group of people to help us work on this goal. Same for any other ideas that you have – send them to us!
More updates to come soon. For now, let’s get thinking about how we can reduce our waste over Christmas (yep, we know how to rock and roll over here!).
Plastic-free wishes,
Hannah & Sue.
