Age is a funny business. One minute you’re young and keen, changing the world by nagging your parents to get rid of CFC sprays and recycle paper, and the next, you’re older and the one being lobbied. In my case, by my new colleague, Eaton Park councillor Heather Blurton, who challenged me at the last council meeting to commit to making Stoke-on-Trent City Council single use plastic free by 2023.
As a council, we use quite a lot of plastic probably without thinking about it, but with a heightened public awareness, this is the right thing to commit to, and I am quite excited about the opportunities it presents. Particularly as a city famous for its ceramics, surely this is the moment to get out our favourite mugs and use them, rather than relying on cheap throwaway paper and plastic alternatives.
You can read more about Heather’s question and my answer here, including a couple of ways to get involved yourself locally.
