Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Neighbourhoods and Development attached.

Decision made (Unanimously):

That Cabinet adopts the Single Use Plastics Strategy and the Climate Emergency Member Working Group be given the lead to develop, implement and achieve the goals of the strategy with a view to reducing the amount of single use plastics used in council operations.

In the absence of the Cabinet Member for the Environment, the Leader of the Council presented a report from the Director of Neighbourhoods and Development on the Council’s strategy to reduce ‘single use plastics’ within all council operations, as part of the work of the Climate Emergency Member Working Group.

The report followed the declaration of the Climate Emergency by the Council in July 2019, which it committed to reducing its impacts on the environment from all of its activities, including single use plastics.  The implementation of the strategy would be monitored by the Climate Emergency Member Working Group.

The Leader referred to the need for the Council to lead by example and ensure that a credible baseline and evidence-based monitoring process would be put in place to help measure progress in an objective way. 

Decision made (Unanimously):

Cabinet adopts the Single Use Plastics Strategy and the Climate Emergency Member Working Group be given the lead to develop, implement and achieve the goals of the strategy with a view to reducing the amount of single use plastics used in council operations.

Reason(s) for decisions:

It is estimated that 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since the 1950s.  Without urgent action to cut demand, this is likely to be 34 billion tonnes by 2050, the majority of which will either end up in landfill or polluting the world’s continents and oceans.  The strategy will include a full review of the use of single use plastics and implement changes to minimise their use.

Alternative options considered and rejected:

The alternative to adoption of the strategy is not to adopt it, and to decide not to take any action over the use of single use plastics and the damaging harmful impact they are having on the environment and human health.