Campaign News, Community News Posted — 29 June 2022
The UK’s First Plastic Free National Park
Plastic Free Exmoor joined the Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Communities campaign back in 2019 and have been an inspiration since day one. We are now thrilled to award them the Plastic Free Communities award to recognise their efforts.
It’s another first for the campaign, and one we hope will inspire other National Parks to take action. Individuals, businesses, organizations and the community as a whole pulled together to tackle plastic pollution at source.
Here’s how …
In 2019, Peter Hoyland (Community Lead for PF Exmoor) and a core team of movers got hold of a copy of the Plastic Free Communities toolkit and set up a community led steering group. Together they set to work on the SAS five-step framework,to take their plastic free message to as many organisations, businesses and Visitors as they could.
The toolkit shows a community how they can work with local governance to bring about policy and system change, businesses to reduce the availability of throw away plastic and community groups and organsations to spread the word.
Fast forward to 2022 – and through a pandemic – and there are now 22 businesses across Exmoor national park who’ve been awarded a Plastic Free Business Champion Award. That means they’re actively reducing the availability of single use plastic across the park area, which in turn should reduce the amount of plastic pollution ending up in the environment.
Over 40 organisations across the park ranging from the National Park Authority and Somerset Wildlife Trust to local litter picking groups have pledged their support and take action. Tackle Channel Events for example organize the Exmoor Perambulation – a 32 mile walk with numerous water stations along the way. In the past they provided plastic cups for those taking part.- Now the cups have gone, and entrants are asked to bring their own refillable water bottles instead. That action alone saves 14,000 plastic cups every year.
The Plastic Free Exmoor team also working directly with six local schools, who are aiming for Plastic Free Schools Accreditation in their own right. The SAS Plastic Free Schools programme is a groundbreaking programme that equips and empowers young activists with the tools to create positive, lasting environmental change. Who better to have coming up the ranks in your local community.
Devon County Council have shown huge support too. They passed the Plastic Free Communities motion stating that they would reduce plastic, support local initiatives and put a member of their council on the community led steering group. It’s fantastic to see this support coming from a County Council level, where strategic change can happen.
Put all that together with links to other nearby Plastic Free Communities, including Porlock Vale, Minehead and Watchet (all already awarded in their own right) and a powerhouse of collective activism is born.
This has to be our favourite stat though. Two million visitors head to Exmoor National Park every year. What does it mean? It means two million people every year are engaging with Plastic Free Exmoor’s call for change. It means two million people each year will see how it looks in practice. And who knows, maybe a fair few will get home and start their own plastic free journey.
“The UK’s National Parks are vital to local communities, from protecting wildlife and habitat to connecting people with nature, and the health and wellbeing benefits that has. The work Exmoor have done to commit to their plastic free journey and spread the message far and wide, has been brilliant to see. We can’t just rubbish pick our way out of the problem. By acting to stop plastic pollution at source the team are taking meaningful steps to further protect the park. Such a great effort from all involved, thank you! “
Rachel Yates, Plastic Free Communities Manager at SAS
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