1. Our World - Our Community - Our Environment
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

2. About 18 months ago we all saw on TV
Blue Planet II
Drowning in Plastics
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

3. Terrible statistics and images
The world produces an annual 300 million tonnes of plastic
With an estimated 50% of that being destined for single use.
Eight million tonnes enters the oceans every year and
by the year 2050, it is estimated the oceans could contain more plastic by weight than fish.
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

4. Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019
Terrible images
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

5. Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019
Recent report
Deepest dive ever – more than 7 miles down
To the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench
Even there they found plastic sweet wrappers!
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

6. Inspired the PLUMPTON PLASTICS CHALLENGE
Over 50 ideas listed by attendees at the first meeting
As a result the Parish Council set a new environment policy
Lots of communities trying to tackle the problem
Attenborough ‘astonished’ by the public reaction to Blue Planet II
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

7. Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019
All sounds brilliant – but what is the reality when trying to find alternatives
Plastic toothbrushes – alternatives bamboo – first ones we tried had plastic bristles
Magazines now arriving in ‘biodegradeable’ or compostable bags – but are they really that good?
Plastic plant pots – changes coming eg Hairy Pot Co – but very slow
Guppy bags for micro plastics
Veggio bags
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

8. And then there are those recycling symbols………..
Widely Recycled
This label is applied to packaging that is collected by 75% or more of local authorities across the UK, for example plastic bottles.
Bottle - Widely Recycled, Sleeve - Not Yet Recycled
Remove sleeve – depending on the packaging it can be good to remove the outer sleeve. For example, a paper sleeve that is wrapped around a large yoghurt pot can be removed and recycled with paper.
Sometimes the sleeves are not recyclable and therefore the instruction is to remove the sleeve and put it in the waste bin.
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

9. And then there are those recycling symbols………..
Mobius Loop
This indicates that an object is capable of being recycled, not that the object has been recycled or will be accepted in all recycling collection systems.
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

10. And then there are those recycling symbols………..
The Green Dot
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

11. And then there are those recycling symbols………..
The Green Dot
The Green Dot does not necessarily mean that the packaging is recyclable, will be recycled or has been recycled.
It is a symbol used on packaging in some European countries and signifies that the producer has made a financial contribution towards the recovery and recycling of packaging in Europe.
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

12. And then there are those number codes
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

13. And then there came on 6th May 2019:
Landmark new report from the United Nations
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

14. Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019
Main headlines:
Current global response insufficient;
‘Transformative changes’ needed to restore and protect nature;
Opposition from vested interests can be overcome for public good
Most comprehensive assessment of its kind;
1,000,000 species threatened with extinction
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

15. The report concluded that:
“Ecosystems, species, wild populations, local varieties and breeds of domesticated plants and animals are shrinking, deteriorating or vanishing. The essential, interconnected web of life on Earth is getting smaller and increasingly frayed.This loss is a direct result of human activity and constitutes a direct threat to human well-being in all regions of the world.”
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

16. Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019
Film called ‘Trashed’
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

17. Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019
The main culprits are:
In descending order:
changes in land and sea use;
direct exploitation of organisms;
climate change;
pollution and
invasive alien species.
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

18. Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019
In other words:
Plastics are part of the problem
7% of fossil fuels used each year go into making plastics
30% of that plastic gets thrown away each year
But our over-use of everything is contributing to nature’s decline – habitats and bio-diversity
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

19. Could Plumpton adopt a strategy of:
REFUSE REDUCE RE-USE RECYCLE Not just for Plastics but for everything?
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

20. What should our community do?....
PLASTIC FREE PLUMPTON??
ZERO-WASTE PLUMPTON??
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019

21. Our World - Our Community - Our Environment
Plumpton Annual Parish Meeting 2019