Green action on single-use plastics

Well done to Cllr Ruthi Brandt who proposed the Green motion to Full Council yesterday on restricting Single Use Plastics. The motion passed unanimously.

The text of the motion:

Green member motion

This Council commits to working to bring an end to the use of unnecessary Single Use Plastics (SUP) in Oxford.

This Council resolves to:
Request the Executive Director for Sustainable City brings a report to CEB on the options for bringing an end to the use of unnecessary Single Use Plastics (SUP) in Oxford, to:

a) enable Oxford City Council to become a full signatory of the ‘Plastic Free Pledge’, by phasing out the use of unnecessary SUPs in all City Council buildings, and working with commissioning partners to end the purchase and procurement of SUPs through the Council’s supply chain;

b) encourage the city’s businesses, organisations and residents to go ‘plastic free,’ working with best practice partners in the city to explore the creation of a‘plastic free network,’ that could provide business support, practical guidelines and advice to help local businesses transition from SUPs to sustainable alternatives;

c) provide feasible options to incentivise traders on Council land to sell re-usable containers and invite customers to bring their own, with the aim of phasing out SUPs; including investigating the possibility of requiring food and drink vendors to avoid SUPs as a condition of their event permission, strengthening the existing conditions and guidance circulated to exhibitors and traders.