A town is the first in the South Hams to receive the coveted Surfers Against Sewage ‘Plastic Free Community’ status.

A team of local volunteers from keen to reduce the plastic pollution originating from Kingsbridge have been working together tirelessly to secure the town’s plastic-free status.

They’ve been required to meet five objectives set by Surfers Against Sewage as part of their campaign to inspire grass roots action to reduce plastic use in communities nationwide. Last month, Kingsbridge Town Council unanimously voted to support Plastic Free Kingsbridge and commit to reducing single-use plastic in council premises.

Businesses in the town have welcomed the initiative, with six already having qualified and several currently working toward their ‘Plastic Free Approved Business’. Kingsbridge Wine Rooms, Tidal Gallery, Healthwise, Lidstone’s Butchers, Harbour House Café and the Tourist Information Centre all have ‘Plastic Free Approved Business’ stickers in their windows.

Changes made by qualifying organisations include: removing plastic bags, straws, bottles, cups, polystyrene, stirrers and cutlery from their organisation; offering free water bottle refills and encouraging customers to bring their reusables; creating bespoke reusable returnable packaging; and displaying eco-friendly messages to help increase education around plastic.

The wider community has also been involved, with talks taking place at Thurlestone and West Charleton Primary Schools, 1st Kingsbridge Girl Guides, the Chamber of Commerce and the ÜNIT Coffee Shop, and an awareness-raising paddle and pick with Waterborn and the 6th Kingsbridge Sea Scouts.

Forest & Beach has also been regularly educating children on using less plastic at their holiday clubs, residential and primary forest schools, including Kingsbridge Primary.

Kingsbridge Community College has been educating students about the issue, providing compostable packaging for most meal choices, and have recently launched a new reusable cup with a discount every time students purchase drinks for it. They’re also looking into strategies to reduce the number of plastic bottles bought on the school premises.

Kingsbridge Rugby Club has replaced plastic straws with paper, plastic forks with wooden and polystyrene burger boxes with cardboard. They no longer have cans of drinks but sell refills and are replacing disposable plastic pint cups with reusable beakers.

Meanwhile, last month’s food & music festival saw food being served in compostable packaging, and around 5,000 compostable drinks cups diverted from landfill and taken to a local farm for composting and returning to the soil, leaving zero waste.

Other significant plastic-free activities in Kingsbridge include the popular ‘Hello Kingsbridge, Goodbye Plastic’ borrow-a-bag scheme, ‘Refill Devon’ free reusable water bottle refills, and regular rubbish clean up events including plogging, paddle and picks, street cleans and monthly South Hams beach cleans.

Big thanks to everyone in the town working hard to use less plastic, and to the team of volunteer co-ordinating ‘Plastic Free Kingsbridge’: Sam Dennis, Crispin Jones, Agi Ostrowska, Monika Malak, Sally Ann Jones, Pete and Andrea Moore, and Amanda Keetley; and also to Surfers Against Sewage for providing the framework for the scheme.

Amanda Keetley said: “Receiving ‘Plastic Free Kingsbridge’ status from Surfers Against Sewage is important recognition of the efforts of very many local people and organisations over the past few years in taking action to reduce ocean plastic.

“We’d love to inspire even more Kingsbridge-based residents, community groups, organisations, schools and businesses to get involved and discover ways to use less plastic, whilst providing a focal point for local people who are passionate about the issue to meet, share ideas, and do community cleanups, to keep each other feeling positive that acting together we can make a difference.”

To find out how to be listed as a ‘Plastic Free Kingsbridge’ business or community organisation, contact [email protected]. For more information about Plastic Free Kingsbridge, visit www.hellokingsbridge.co.uk/goodbye-plastic.

If you’re passionate about plastic pollution and keen to participate in plastic clean ups and other community activity, follow SouthHamsBeachCleanSeries on Facebook.