#PlasticFree July: What can your business do?

Monday 09 July 2018

Local businesses, whether big or small, are being urged to say goodbye to at least three items of single-use plastic as part of Plastic Free July.

Local eco-warrior Sheena Brockie says nearly 100 businesses - including finance companies, cafés and States departments - have already committed to ditch plastic for good as part of Plastic Free Jersey.

Through Plastic Free July, a global initiative "that dramatically reduces plastic use and improves recycling worldwide", she is hoping to convince more to join in the fight against plastic pollution. 

Businesses can find a toolkit tailored for them on the Plastic Free website. They can then contact the Plastic Free Jersey team to commit to the cause by saying what three actions they will take to become #PlasticFree. They are then invited to share their success by sending photos of their actions to the team who adds them to the Plastic Free Jersey map. 

The aim is for businesses to say goodbye to at least three items of single-use plastic, whether it be cups, pens, bottles or bags. The toolkits are full of tips to help businesses in each sector reach their target. 

Sheena says: "Some businesses have given keep-cups to their employees, or reusable water bottles. If you have meetings you always want to put a nice bottle on the table but it is actually better to switch to a chiller unit that uses tap water and is fitted with a carbonator to make fizzy water. Stationery is always a big win, you can easily find eco alternatives now. Stephen Peck just recently launched a range.

"One thing I find is really clever is that some of the big offices have taken away all individual waste paper bins. They only have one central bin area, with recycling bins for paper, metal, plastic and then general waste. People are more enclined to recycle this way because recycling is actually an option. It is really ingenuous because they are getting up to get rid of their waste anyway so recycling is just an extension."

Businesses can also help by opting for recycled alternatives when they shop, especially for stationery. Plenty of plastics of bottles are recycled into pens, but this is only one example out of many Sheena says. "You need to have a closed loop," she explains. "If you are going to be using plastic, which is going to be recycled into something, you need to be closing the loop and buy that recycled item, there is a market for it. You encourage people to recycle more by using recyclable products."

Sheena says that whatever the size of the company, there are many ways each can take part and that however small actions might seem, they all add up. For example,  Minerva Trust's decision to install a water chiller and provide proper glasses will save a total of 24,000 glasses a year. 

Some have also gone above and beyond the call of duty. The Bread of Life Café was the very first business to commit and succeed their three actions. They have replaced plastic bottles with glass bottles, and also provide a jug of water and glasses for their customers to help themselves. In addition, plastic bags have been binned, take-away cups, boxes and cutlery are now compostable and plastic wrappers have been ditched for a cardboard alternative. 

Some businesses are also helping others be more eco-friendly, such as Mercury Distribution Ltd, a locally-owned company covering Hospitality, Engineering, Medical, Office and Home Delivery. They have introduced approximatively 41 new eco-friendly products to their product range such as paper straws, cups, take-away boxes and drinking glasses. They have also produced an eco-friendly product brochure detailing their current range and promote the use of eco-friendly products and plastic awareness on their social media platforms.

Meanwhile, local cafés such as Moo, Dandy and Lovin' Spoonful are encouraging customers to be more eco-friendly on a daily basis. They offer discounts to those who bring their 'keep cups' instead of using throwaway ones, and offer sustainable take-away boxes. 

But change doesn't have to be drastic. "A lot of people think it is harder than it actually is," she explains. "It's all about getting rid of three things. It has to work through your lifestyle so you can do it everyday easily.

"We are hoping that as more businesses join in, their staff will pick up habits that they will bring back home. Likewise, the more people we persuade to take part, the more workplaces we will be able to convince." 

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