Guildhall Winchester has joined a waste-reducing campaign that calls for businesses to replace plastic straws with paper ones.
Final Straw Winchester wants cafés, bars and restaurants in the city to stop giving out single-use plastic straws and offer more environmentally friendly ones instead.
The City Council-run Guildhall has pledged its support to the campaign. As well as this, the team is taking a further step to reduce plastic waste by looking to introduce reusable takeaway cups and water bottles for Café Eighteen71 by the end of the summer.
The wider issue of the effects of plastics and the harm they cause to marine life and the environment was highlighted in the documentary Blue Planet 2 which aired at the end of last year.
Cllr Steve Miller, who looks after the Guildhall as part of his portfolio for City Council estates said: “Plastic waste is a huge issue and we a determined to take action to address it.
“Small changes all add up so I’m proud that the team has taken two positive steps already and is working towards silver accreditation for green impact by implementing a broader range of plastic reduction tasks by the end of the year. The Guildhall is also being considered as a possible future location for recycling plastics.”
Final Straw Winchester was started by Michele Ingerslev and the campaign has already had more than 20 local businesses come on board.
