By Emma Fashokun, manager of The Coffee Lounge
We know how much tourists love St Ives, and we hope that our visitors join in with the huge amount of support that we’ve had from locals to work towards a plastic-free St Ives. We understand it can be difficult to navigate all of the information so we’ve put together some easy tips to avoid single use plastics while on holiday.
Bring or buy a reusable water bottle, rather than purchasing single-use plastic bottles of water. If you download the Refill app you’ll find lots of friendly cafés, hostels and other places in St Ives and surrounding areas that will gladly fill your bottle for free. Getting into the habit of carrying a water bottle, rather than buying one, makes economic sense in the long run. Imagine how much money a family of four could save over a one-week holiday!
Avoid purchasing polystyrene bodyboards: they are not recyclable and easily damaged, leaving micro-plastics in our ocean. Thousands of these abandoned boards wash up on our coastlines every year. Buy wooden boards or rent a board for the day — still just as much fun for everyone, but plastic free!
Refuse plastic bags, bring your own, or support our local businesses by buying a reusable tote or shopping bag.
Look out for our Plastic Free Champion plaques in businesses around St Ives: you can be sure they are actively working to reduce single-use plastics in our community. They will be using plastic-free disposables for your take-away packaging, and offering incentives such as a discount on your take-away coffee if you bring your own cup. Follow our Plastic Free St Ives page on Facebook to find out more.
Dispose of your dog’s mess responsibly — please don’t leave the full plastic bags in our hedgerows! Leave no trace, when you are visiting the beach or local attractions. This means not disturbing the environment or leaving any litter or marks that you have been there.
Set the kids a challenge of picking up three pieces of plastic every time you leave the beach. Enjoy our beautiful town and help us preserve it for generations to come. Take only photographs and great memories with you.
