Campaign launched to tackle St Andrews' plastic problem

The St Andrews Environmental Network wants to establish a model throughout the town to eliminate all single-use plastic by encouraging businesses to replace it with more environmentally friendly options.

Single-use plastics are plastics used just once before they are disposed, and include such items as straws, water bottles and coffee stirrers.

Jane Kell, manager at the Network, said the team want to raise awareness of the issue and then visit businesses to get them to make the change.

The hope is that hotels, cafes, shops and pubs across the town will give up using single-use plastic, and explain that choosing cleaner alternatives does not need to break the bank.

Jane added: “We also want to encourage people themselves to stop using single-use plastic, because businesses will be led by demand.

“People need to start raising the issue themselves with businesses.

“We want to move away from single-use plastic.

“It’s an environmental disaster and a waste of resources.

“And we’re looking to tackle this on all fronts.

“That means cutting waste, improving how we manage waste, and then moving away from the waste that’s still detrimental.”

The issue of single-use plastic is a global one, but the St Andrews Environmental Network team are keen to tackle the problem locally, and emphasise that it is an issue in St Andrews.

“It is a local problem,” Jane explained.

“People seem to think it happens somewhere else and not in their town.

“It is a very big problem in St Andrews.

“You only have to look at the number of take-aways in the town. And a lot give you no choice but to use single-use plastic.”

Jane said that the Network’s Clean and Green team, which patrols the streets and beaches of St Andrews, cleaning up mess, has seen first hand the amount of single-use plastic lying around.

To learn more about the campaign and the other work that the Network does, visit https://www.standrewsenvironmental.org/.