Call for big events in Brighton and Hove to go plastic free

The petition calls on the council and ‘the organisers and sponsors of the city’s biggest public events to commit to eliminating the use of single-use plastics by 2020 at the latest’.

The lead petitioners, Carole Mortimer and Sarah Kingdom, said: “Internationally, each year, over eight million tonnes of plastic finds its way into our oceans and some of it already turns up on Brighton beach.

“But the impact is even worse when city events create vast amounts of additional waste such as water bottles from the marathon or disposable plastic glasses during the Festival and Pride.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. Events should be using alternatives such as stack cup and water refill stations.

“In the summer of 2018, Green councillors persuaded Brighton and Hove’s Labour council to introduce new criteria to ensure city events go ‘plastic free’ and in particular that event organisers eliminate single-use plastics as a condition of their event permission.

“Following this success the councillors presented another proposal to investigate food waste collections and an increase in plastic recycling.

“This passed, but without the support of a single Labour councillor.

“Now we need action on this progress and to ensure that future events in our city are plastic free: no ifs, no buts.

“By 2020 at the latest no major public event should be given permission, funding or sponsorship if they are using single-use plastics.”

The petition is due to be received at Brighton Town Hall on Thursday (January 31) when the full council meets. The meeting, which starts at 4pm, is open to the public.

By Frank Le Duc, Local Democracy Reporting Service.