Plastic Free Champions: leading the change in communities

Meet Keith, from Minehead, who supports not one, but four Plastic Free Communities in his area. Keith talks to us about his experience of the award, and how Plastic Free Champions play an essential role in leading the way to a reduction in single use plastic, and wider industry change.

Keith did his first beach clean in 1971 at 11 years old, for a survey in a children’s comic. He was offered regular pocket money for cleaning by the local beach owners, and has been cleaning his local area ever since. Even when caretaking at a local school, he found time to do beach cleans, and inspired children to do their own.

Peter from Plastic Free Exmoor, first met Keith when he was working at the school, and was so impressed with his environmental work, they started working together as Community Allies.

As well as regularly attending beach cleans for Plastic Free Exmoor, Porlock Vale, Minehead and Watchet communities, Keith now sits on the steering group for Plastic Free Minehead.

Last year, Keith noticed he was finding more and more plastic on his litter picks, and had a light bulb moment. Minehead needed a shop that made it easy for people to change to eco-friendly alternatives, to stop plastic pollution at source, and help change consumer shopping habits.

So he took the plunge and opened a zero-waste shop, ‘Our Precious Earth’. He used recycled materials to fit the shop, from old apple crates for displays and carpets made from recycled tyres, to incorporating bits and pieces washed up on the beach.

Keith says “I use recovered items from beach cleans to display in the shop, and blackboards give customers more information on environmental issues. The displays get people thinking and talking, and shows I’m more than just a shop. Customers call the shop ‘the feel good shop’ and go away feeling great about doing their bit for the environment.”

Our Precious Earth received the Gold Plastic Free Business Champion Award in June, and after an article in the local paper, Keith says the award has sparked a lot of interest in the shop.

Keith continues to work with Plastic Free Communities through his shop by promoting events, loaning stock for events, and helping establish two beach toy libraries. He has formed a network of businesses with similar values in the area, even doing a joint podcast with a holiday cottage company, and offering discounts and support to other Plastic Free Champions. He has found that some holiday-makers will choose accommodation providers based on their environmental values, and says the award is a signpost of that.

The rest of the UK certainly mirrors Minehead, with 90% of our 2022 survey respondents said that they prefer to use businesses who have acted on becoming plastic free, to those who have not. There is a growing demand for eco-friendly, low plastic businesses, and this is being driven even more by the increase in Plastic Free Communities across the UK – there are now over 900… and we’re still growing.

Our Precious Earth, is a key example of how Plastic Free Communities can lead to the emergence of new businesses, with built in low plastic and low waste models right from the start. Which is great for our local high streets, and local economies.

By working together, promoting and supporting each other, Plastic Free Champions and Plastic Free Communities can help create thriving communities and high streets.

Find your local Plastic Free Community here

Get an Individual Action Plan here

Find out more about the Plastic Free Champion Award here