Councillor Cromwell will propose and Councillor Greening will second, the following Motion:

“This Council notes with concern that:

·         300 million tonnes of new plastic is made each year, half of which is for single use plastics such as packaging and convenience food.

·         in many cases, such as plastic straws, take away food containers and coffee cups, there are practical alternatives available that are either reusable or sustainable.

·         in 2016, the ‘Ellen MacArthur Foundation’ estimated that by weight there could be more plastic in our oceans than fish, as soon as 2050 as plastics are durable and strong they will stay in our environment for up to an estimated six hundred years. (Columbia University).

·         marine plastic leads to coastal/offshore dead zones, entanglement, death through ingestion, toxic transfer and, once degraded into micro plastics, contamination of the food chain including our own.

This Council welcomes:

·         the significant increase in recycling achieved in the Borough during the last decade through improvements to doorstep recycling.

·         the success of the plastic bag levy introduced through the coalition government which has led to an 85% reduction in disposable plastic bag usage.

·         the Conservative government’s recently announced ‘25 year green plan’ which pledges to stop all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.

·         the impact that the BBC documentary ‘Blue Planet’ has had on public awareness and concern for this crisis. ”

In view of the above, this Council RESOLVES: 

1.    That all single use plastics within buildings and facilities managed by the Council be eliminated by 2020 and efforts be made to encourage the elimination of single use plastics within the Council’s supply chain by 2025.

2.    That the work of the Gloucestershire Joint Waste Partnership in promoting the reduction of single use plastics across the County be supported and any opportunities to lobby central government be taken through the Partnership.

30.1           The Mayor referred to the Notice of Motion set out on the Agenda and indicated that, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, it was necessary for the Council firstly to decide whether it wished to debate and determine the Motion at the evening’s meeting, or whether it wished to refer the Motion, without debate, to a Committee for consideration with authority either to make a decision on the matter or to bring a recommendation back to Council. Upon being put to the vote, it was agreed that the Motion would be determined at the current meeting.

30.2           In proposing the Motion, Councillor Cromwell explained that he was extremely concerned about the effect of single-use plastics on the planet; in fact he had just heard in the press that authorities were not always sure that plastics which went abroad for processing were actually recycled. The Member felt that the statistics set out within the Motion were frightening and showed how imperative it was that something was done about the problem of pollution from single-use plastics. The Member considered that there may be a need to change the way recycling was measured in future as the move to lessen the use of plastics would mean a drop in recycling rates; however, in his view this would be a small price to pay. The Motion included a timescale to 2020 for the elimination of single-use plastics within buildings and facilities owned by the Council which he felt was enough time for Officers and Councillors to change their habits so the Motion was achievable. He was of the view that, if plastics were not used so much, manufacturers would not need to produce them and largely this would be a good thing. The Member hoped the Council would be able to support the Motion.

30.3           In seconding the Motion, Councillor Greening indicated that momentum was growing for the elimination of single-use plastics so she felt the Motion was timely and, by supporting it, the Council was acknowledging that it had an important part to play. She understood that change was needed across the whole of society but felt that small everyday acts would collectively achieve the result of there being no plastics in the oceans etc. She was of the view that practical alternatives needed to be provided wherever possible and she hoped the Council would support the important Motion.

30.4           During the ensuing debate, Members generally felt the Motion was absolutely correct and that it should be supported. One Member, whilst fully endorsing the Motion, questioned whether it could go further in ensuring the recyclate that was sent abroad from the County was actually recycled and not sent to landfill. In response, the Head of Community Services indicated that, whilst this would be admirable, once the recylate material had gone to the recycling plant it was out of the control of the Borough Council and he could not therefore guarantee where it would end up. In addition, the Chief Executive explained that the Borough Council was the waste collection authority not the waste disposal authority so it was outside of the Council’s remit to gain any assurances about the destination of the recyclate once it left the Borough Council’s lorries. He indicated that Tewkesbury Borough was a member of the Joint Waste Partnership so could relay the Member’s comments and make investigations but he felt the Council should not put itself into an unsustainable position. The Chief Executive, along with the Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment, undertook to raise the matter with the Joint Waste Partnership and report back to Members accordingly.

30.5           The Motion was not amended but it was accepted that the Chief Executive and Lead Member would investigate where the recycling was taken, and what happened to it, and would report back to Members in due course.

30.6           Upon being put to the vote, it was

                  RESOLVED          That the following Motion be AGREED:  

1.   That all single use plastics within buildings and facilities managed by the Council be eliminated by 2020 and efforts be made to encourage the elimination of single-use plastics within the Council’s supply chain by 2025.

2.   That the work of the Gloucestershire Joint Waste Partnership in promoting the reduction of single-use plastics across the County be supported and any opportunities to lobby central government be taken through the Partnership.