As part of their efforts during Plastic-Free February, which included the ongoing #RefillBridgnorth campaign to discourage single plastic bottle use, Sustainable Bridgnorth set up a team to target local supermarkets and persuade them to ‘prevent pointless plastic’ – and they found that many are already taking up the challenge.
The group visited shops during February, surveying retailers to understand how they were already reducing plastic use… and “we were so impressed with our independent coffee shops who are moving away from plastic utensils and cups!” says the group’s Bob Ensum.
The star of the show was Bridgnorth Sainsburys. Anti-plastic campaigner Cheryl Holmes targeted the shop because of its importance in the local community as the largest town centre store… “and it really sets the pace,” she explains. “I walked down the aisles with the store manager Hollie Lawley, and asked her directly what more can be done to reduce this use of plastic.”
Bridgnorth has purchased reusable banana crates, proposed a national-chain end to cauliflower bags, and locally will be making paper bags, reusable jute bags, and cardboard boxes available instead of plastic bags in the vegetable aisle, encouraging shoppers to bring their own containers to the deli, and is set to become the town’s only location to recycle Walkers’ crisp packets.
Hollie says, “Sainsburys are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our business, and in Bridgnorth we’re no different; we want to work within the community to support local groups like Sustainable Bridgnorth to make an even bigger impact.”
For more information, find the group on Facebook.
