Ottery’s plastic warriors and shops have joined forces to kick off a week of promoting alternatives to ‘plastic nasties’ in the town.
Shoppers are being encouraged from today (Friday) to change their ways by swapping their single-use plastic for more environmentally friendly items as part of an initiative by Plastic Free Ottery.
The group was inspired by Surfers Against Sewage’s list of 10 plastic offenders and has set about trying to reduce those items in the town.
In support, businesses are offering visitors and customers a number of ways to cut their plastic intake including filling up their water bottles, picking up fabric shopping bags, taking in reuseable cups and containers and switching plastic straws and stirrers for paper versions.
The idea is part of plastic-free July and for each alternative customers swap to, they will receive a ticket and entered into a prize raffle.
Participating shops will have a poster showing their support for Plastic Free Ottery in their window.
Hanna West, from Plastic Free Ottery, said: “You can choose to refuse seven of the top 10 plastic polluters in our town thanks to our shopkeepers giving us plastic- free alternatives.
“Businesses were doing this anyway and its a great way of trying to get people to shop locally. They are doing such a good job and we as customers can match them by shopping there a bit more.
“By the end of July, if not before, we want shoppers to be able to avoid them if they choose to refuse and want to go even more plastic-free.”
The group is also working on a bid to make Ottery a plastic free-town.
As part of the awareness week, Plastic Free Ottery has also arranged a number of workshops making environmentally friendly party decorations at Fillfull in Mill Street.
The town’s first zero-waste shop will hold workshops today (Friday) from 4pm to 6pm, tomorrow from 10am to 4pm and Saturday, July 28, from 10am to 4pm.
Prizes in the raffle have been donated by local businesses and include candles from the Recylced Candle Shop, fruitcake from Broad St Café and a £10 voucher from Country Farm Butchers.
The raffle will be drawn on July 28.
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