Islanders fed up with the amount of packaging in supermarkets are invited to take part in a ‘Plastic Attack’ at a Newport supermarket this coming Sunday (7th July).
Members of an Isle of Wight ‘Journey to Zero Waste’ Facebook Group have been sharing photos of examples of excessive use of plastic bags and containers in local shops in the last year.
The group plan to gather outside Sainsbury’s supermarket at lunchtime on Sunday to demonstrate their frustration and to demand that supermarkets take urgent action to reduce plastic waste.
Over the last couple of years, campaigner Hollie Fallick has been taking direct action by leaving her single-use plastic at many supermarket checkouts after purchase.
Hollie says:
“I have written to the stores and signed petitions but they are still not taking fast enough action to tackle the issue. Recycling rates are improving, but there are real concerns about where our plastic ends up. Reprocessing of this material uses up valuable energy. We must reuse our containers and reduce our reliance on throw-away packaging”.
The event coincides with the first-ever ‘Plastic Free’ Glastonbury Festival, with no disposable water bottles on site. In addition, July is the global ‘Plastic Free Month’ when people are encouraged to refuse single-use plastics wherever they can.
Those wanting to join the Plastic Attack are being encouraged to meet at Sainsbury’s in Newport at 11:30 ready to do some shopping, followed by removing all unnecessary plastic packaging to leave it with the supermarket to deal with.
All they are achieving is extra work for poorly paid retail workers who don’t even have the luxury of having Sunday’s off, unlike these lucky ‘environmentalists ‘ plastic has to be addressed as a matter of urgency but this is not the right way of going about it imo
The plastic will need to be got rid off, extra work for staff, instead of the people who have the shopping.