Liberal Democrat councillors Garth Harness (Saddleworth North) and Diane Williamson (Crompton) will be proposing a motion to Oldham council on Wednesday 14th December 2016 calling on the council to help reduce packaging and improve recycling.
Councillor Garth Harkness said “ There are 2.5 billion paper coffee cups thrown away each year and hardly any of them are recycled. There are specialist facilities that can be used but only about 0.25% are. There is too much packaging on food products that can’t be recycled and we need to do more to work with these companies across Greater Manchester to address the issue”
A co-ordinated effort needs to be explored to cut the resources of providing our food and drink
Councillor Diane Williamson said “WRAP look at improving resource efficiency. We should consider the merits of the council being a signatory of WRAPs’ Courtauld Commitment 2025. The aim is to get better value and reduce waste involving food production. ASDA, Aldi and Boots are among a number willing to commit already”.
Councillor Garth Harkness added: “We need to work with local coffee outlets to encourage them to adopt recyclable cups, provide on-site recycling facilities, and offer discounts to customers bringing their own cup. The production of bottled water necessitates wasteful processing, bottling and transportation, and when its consumption leads to the discarding of millions of plastic bottles.”
Councillor Diane Williamson ended “We should look at promoting the provision of public drinking fountains and free drinking water in all catering outlets and schools.”
Council 14 December 2016 – Notice of Opposition Business – Reducing and Recycling Food Packaging
This Council is proud to be a member of the Sustainable Food Cities Network and as a member is committed to “Reducing waste and the ecological footprint of the food system”.
Council notes that with concern that this commitment will be more difficult to achieve when:
- Most beverage cups dispensed by coffee outlets cannot be recycled
- The production of bottled water necessitates wasteful processing, bottling and transportation, and when its consumption leads to the discarding of millions of plastic bottles
- Much of the packaging used for food products cannot currently be recycled
Council aspires instead to reduce food packaging and promote recycling across the borough whenever possible.
Council further notes that these aspirations are compatible with the aims of the initiative, the Courthauld Commitment 2025, where signatories pledge to work to reduce “the resource needed to provide our food and drink by one-fifth over ten years.”
Council therefore resolves to:
- Ensure that drinking cups at water and coffee machines in Council buildings are all recyclable and are recycled
- Work with local coffee outlets to encourage them to adopt recyclable cups, provide on-site recycling facilities, provide multi-use cups, and offer discounts to customers bringing their own cups
- Promote the provision of public drinking fountains and free drinking water in all catering outlets and schools
- Work with local food producers, processors and retailers, and with the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, to adopt food packaging that can be recycled
- Ask the relevant Cabinet Member and officers to investigate the merits of becoming a signatory to the Courthauld Commitment 2025, and report back on their findings no later than six months from now.