Mendip District Council has voted to go NSUP (No Single Use Plastics) last night 19th December by passing the following motion: 

'That this council will become a 'single-use plastic free' council by phasing out the use of 'single use plastic' (SUP) products such as bottles, cups, cutlery and drinking straws in a council activities, where it is reasonable to do so, by April 2018 and to encourage our facilities' users, local businesses and other local public agencies to do the same, by championing alternatives, such as reusable water bottles.' 

The Green Party motion was seconded by a Conservative Cllr and achieved cross party support. 

This means that in Somerset in the space of 8 weeks Glastonbury TC, Frome TC and now Mendip DC has renounced single use plastics, as well as Norwich, Brighton, Penzance and many other Councils in the UK and mainly as a result of Green Party motions. 

In the New Year we hope to arrange a series of exhibitions in the markets towns of Mendip showing off the alternatives to single use plastics and encourage local businesses to go NSUP. 

In the meantime we can all ask cafes and pubs why they are not going NSUP and encourage other Councils to do the same. For reference the SW Waste Partnership have delayed recycling pre-formed plastics until 2019 and China has said it will stop taking our recycled plastics in 2018.