She’s the poster girl for Surbiton’s waste-not, want-not community. And now she is literally that – a poster girl! Sage Parmar, the driving force behind Sage’s health store – the organic, sustainable grocery shop in Brighton Road which champions zero waste – is the face of a What’s Your Plastic Solution? campaign. You can see
She’s the poster girl for Surbiton’s waste-not, want-not community. And now she is literally that – a poster girl!
Sage Parmar, the driving force behind Sage’s health store – the organic, sustainable grocery shop in Brighton Road which champions zero waste – is the face of a What’s Your Plastic Solution? campaign.
You can see her pictured at bus stops around the borough holding up a storage jar, encouraging people to reduce their carbon footprint by buying groceries which aren’t already packaged: to go for the refill option instead.
“Despite all of its benefits, we now have a much better understanding of how plastic waste effects the environment,” said a spokesperson for the South London Waste Partnership (SLWP) which is running the campaign. “That’s why we all need to reduce our reliance on single-use plastic and be more careful about how we dispose of it.”
Also featured in the campaign is Tolworth’s recycling queen Janine Martin of Sunray Recycle who helps the community to reuse, repurpose, and reduce waste.
“Keeping plastic out of your rubbish bin is a really simple and effective way of reducing your carbon footprint and helping in the fight against global warming,” said SLWP which is made up of four councils (Kingston, Sutton, Merton and Croydon) who are working together to provide improved waste management services for residents.
“There are lots of changes you can make to your daily routine to achieve this.”
They suggest.
Reduce your reliance on single-use plastic by:
- Buying fruit and vegetables loose – avoid any items that are heavily packaged
- Supporting your local refill shop –for a map visit southlondonpartnership.co.uk/
place/slp-zero-waste-map - Using the refill stations at your local supermarket or grocery store – these are becoming more common, particularly for cleaning products and detergents
- Swapping liquid soap for a good old-fashioned package-free bar
- Switching cling film for biodegradable food wraps made from materials like beeswax
- Carrying a reusable ‘bag for life’, so you never get caught out
Reuse plastics and prevent them from going to waste by:
- Using a refillable water bottle – there’s even an app you can download at refill.org.uk/about to tell you where you can refill. Just make sure your plastic bottle is BPA free (don’t refill single-use plastic bottles as these can release harmful chemicals into your drink as they degrade over time)
- Storing food in plastic takeaway containers
- Carrying a reusable coffee cup with you – some cafes will even offer discounts if you use your own cup
- Turning used plastic bottles into planters or drip irrigators and re-purposing ready meal containers into seed germination trays – if you’ve got green fingers, the possibilities are endless!
- Getting crafty: use plastic bottles, straws and other items to make pencil holders, bird feeders or even jewellery – search online for inspirational video tutorials
Recycle as much unavoidable plastic waste as you can by:
- Using your council’s recycling collection service to its full potential to recycle all your plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays. If you’re not sure if something is recyclable, use this handy BinSmart tool at slwp.org.uk/your-waste/
binsmart to check - Recycling all over your house – have a recycling bin in your bathroom and bedroom to make sure you recycle all those shampoo and conditioner bottles, shower gel containers, liquid soap bottles, bathroom cleaner bottles and cosmetic and make up pots and tubs
Be flexible with your recycling by:
- Finding out where you can recycle soft or ‘flexible’ plastics that aren’t currently collected by your local council – lots of supermarkets now collect plastic bags, food pouches, wrapping, bread bags and crisp packets; find your nearest collection point on the Recycle Now website at recyclenow.com/repeat-the-
cycle - Using the BinSmart tool to find out how you can recycle plastic items like old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, medicine blister packs, printer cartridges and much more.
Find out more about the campaign at slwp.org.uk/our-partnership/
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