Politician driving council to reduce plastic in district

Politician driving council to reduce plastic in district

23 May 2018

LOCAL politicians will tonight be asked to take the lead in helping reduce the amount of plastic waste polluting the sea.

Members of Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s Regulatory and Technical Services Committee will be asked to ban the use of plastic bottles, straws and cutlery from its buildings across the district and at events it organises.

Mournes councillor Willie Clarke is spearheading a drive to significantly reduce single use plastics across all council facilities and across the community and will table his idea at tonight’s meeting in Newry.

He is also keen for the local authority to play a key role in supporting local initiatives to reduce the use of plastic and to examine whether banning single-use plastics can be part of contractual agreements with commercial organisations dealing with the local authority.

Ahead of tonight’s meeting, Cllr Clarke said he was keen for council officials to investigate the cost of providing public drinking fountains to make it easy to refill water bottles.

He believes that from a health an economic perspective, reducing the use of plastic can have a huge impact and is keen for the local council and people across the district to play their part.

“I live in a coastal community at Newcastle harbour and witness the large amounts of single use plastic bottles on our beaches and waterways,” he said.

“We need to do all we can to protect the marine environment and fisheries. In terms of what has been happening to date, enough is enough.

“Recycling is important and reducing our consumption of plastics and reusing the material is a critical. Taking single use plastic out of the equation has to be a priority for everyone.”

Last weekend, Cllr Clarke took part in a clean-up at Newcastle’s Donard Forest, an area which he said “continues to be an eyesore and health hazard.”

He declared: “This particular area has been neglected for years and last weekend over 30 bags of litter, consisting of mainly glass, plastic bottles and cans was collected.

“The area had been left in an untidy state and was used as a dumping ground. This cannot be allowed to continue.

“This area is the main access into the Mournes and resources need to be made available for the proper management of Donard Forest which is a regular attraction for illegal camping and drinking.”

Cllr Clarke said the amount of litter collected illustrated the need for everyone to show more respect for the natural environment.

He added: “I would like to thank all participants who assisted in cleaning this valuable community resource. Thanks also to Newry, Mourne and Down Council staff for removing the bags of litter collected.”