Time to tackle plastic pollution in Birmingham

Birmingham Lib Dem’s are paving the way for Birmingham to phase out single use plastics by 2019. Local Moseley campaigners  have played a big part in making this happen. We are very hopeful of cross party support at full council.

This is the text of the motion Councillors Jon Hunt & Baber Baz will be bringing to the city council on Tuesday 11th September to cut the use of single use plastics.  We’ve looked at ideas from other councils introduced by parties of all hues. 

“Council is alarmed at the growing evidence of the impact of disposable plastic items on the world’s oceans, fish supplies and the litter on the streets and in the hedgerows of Birmingham.
Council notes and welcomes the success of plastic bag charging policies introduced by national governments. It calls for action at a city level so Birmingham makes a significant contribution to reducing disposal of plastics and cleaning up the environment.
Council calls on the executive to:
1. develop a robust strategy to make Birmingham City Council a ‘single-use-plastic-free’ authority by the end of 2019 and encourage the city’s institutions, businesses and citizens to adopt similar measures;
2. end the sale and provision of disposable plastic products such as bottles, cups, cutlery and drinking straws in council buildings;
3. . encourage market traders to sell re-usable containers and invite customers to bring their own, with the aim of phasing out single-use plastic containers and cutlery on market stalls by the end of 2019;
4. investigate the possibility of requiring pop-up food and drink vendors at large council events to avoid disposable plastic items as a condition of their contract; 
5. promote refill schemes, in which retail businesses agree to free water refills, pointing them to the apps that are available to signpost customers to refill points;
6. investigate the use of free water fountains in reception areas and elsewhere;
7. further investigate having locally branded water containers for sale;
8. work with tenants in commercial properties owned by Birmingham City Council to encourage the phasing out of disposable plastic cups, bottles, cutlery and straws.
9. Ensure the 2022 Commonwealth Games is free of single use plastic items
Council further proposes a report be brought to the relevant scrutiny committee setting out the financial costs of adopting a strategy of this kind”.
Proposer: Cllr Jon Hunt
Seconder: Cllr Baber Baz

Moseley Litterbusters made this chart from the rubbish collected from the streets of  Moseley Village in one hour to show how much recyclables ends up in our discarded waste. This doesn’t include the waste actually put into bins. Currently all of Birmingham’s street waste goes to the Tyseley incinerator.  We would like to see the city policy change to include re-cycling bins in our parks, streets and shopping areas.