Town Council Backs Plastic-Free Hailsham Vision

Hailsham has taken the next step towards becoming plastic-free with the support of the Town Council.

Hailsham town councillors have agreed at their latest meeting held on Wednesday 17^th July to lend its support to the plastic-free Hailsham initiative, which is committed to the removal or replacement of single-use plastics in the local community.

The Town Council is aiming to become a ‘single-use’ plastic-free council and staff at the Council offices in Market Street will gradually be phasing out the use of unrecyclable single-use plastic products at all Council-supported activities and premises. Councillors made the decision unanimously, after it was proposed by local town councillor and campaigner Mary Laxton, who has volunteered to be the Council liaison/representative for the scheme.

The Town Council plans to start the process by implementing a refill-a-bottle water scheme, which involves the public getting their water container filled in dedicated premises which have signed up to the scheme, encouraging to people to cut down on using plastic items such as drink bottles, chilled water dispensers, cups, cutlery and straws.

Subsequently and by natural progression, other community initiatives will follow, including contacting local businesses to discuss signing up to the refill-a-bottle scheme, promote alternatives to plastic and encourage a move towards biodegradable and paper options, as well as holding events to raise awareness and recruit volunteers to take the campaign forward.

Councillor Mary Laxton, who addressed the Council, said: “I am delighted by the Council’s enthusiastic response to help the local community cut down on single-use plastic and reduce the amount of plastic waste in our town.”

“By pledging our support for Hailsham becoming a plastic-free town, we plan to lead by example by removing or replacing single-use plastic on our premises and helping to promote the campaign and supporting events.”

“Single-use plastic items are not only a blight on our community but have a detrimental effect on wildlife and can take hundreds of years to break down. By working with residents, business and local community organisations on the Plastic-Free Hailsham campaign, we will endeavour to reduce the over-reliance on plastics which is causing so much damage to our environment.”

Councillor Laxton currently organises three community-led litter picks a year in Hailsham, and in March this year, volunteers removed 3 shopping trolley’s worth of single-use plastic bottles from a stretch of the Cuckoo Trail.