Wellington wins 'Plastic Free Community' status
Wellington has taken a big step forward to becoming a cleaner and greener town.
A dedicated group, set up to gain ‘Plastic Free Community’ status, has just heard that it has reached its goal.
Made up of councillors, local businesses and community organisations, the Climate Emergency Steering Group was formed in 2022 to follow guidelines from the environmental campaign body Surfers Against Sewage.
Its Plastic Free Communities network has been created to tackle plastic pollution at source – from beaches and green spaces back to the brands and businesses that create it. It aims to kick people’s ‘addiction’ to throwaway plastic and change the system that produces it.
Keli King, vice chair of the climate emergency steering group, said: “We were thrilled to have so much Wellington involvement with this – especially from businesses and community groups.
“It’s heart-warming to see that a lot of initiatives are already in place, so as a town, we are certainly doing our bit for the environment.”
In order to achieve the accolade Wellington had to get a motion passed by the local council, organise two events, get 12 businesses to eliminate at least three single use plastic items and involve 30 ‘community allies’ to reduce or eliminate various items of single use plastic – this covered schools, churches, community spaces and volunteer groups.
One of the events was a litter pick organised by chair, councillor Paul Davis, when 30 volunteers collected 20 bags full of litter, including eight of waste plastic, none of which would otherwise have been recycled.
Paul said: “I’m really pleased to see the desire from the community of Wellington to work together to reduce unnecessary plastic waste.”
