Community group Transition Woodbrigde is working to inform the town about unwanted plastic waste.
With the government pledging to eliminate plastic waste by 2042, and supermarkets such as Iceland committing to eliminating plastic packaging over the next 15 years, the subject of plastic waste and the issues it can cause is one many people are now very aware of.
One group of people aware of these global concerns is community-led organisation Transition Woodbridge. Bringing local people together, Transition Woodbridge discusses problems such as those that affect the local economy, the cost of living and the changing climate, and then works to create a collective story of the future that its members would like to see. Transition Woodbridge believes a positive story of a positive future, leads on to positive and achievable action in the local area.
“The work of Transition Woodbridge has really taken off recently,” says spokeswoman for the group Charlie Zakss. “Our showing of documentary Bag It sold out last year – we expected around 20 to 30 people, however were really pleasantly surprised when we had 50 people turn up.
“People stayed behind and chatted about the issues raised in the film and we even held another meeting to discuss the topic further.”
Following the success of its first film showing, and to spread further awareness of the concerns of plastic waste, Transition Woodbridge will be holding a showing of the documentary ‘A Plastic Tide’ on Friday, February 2.
Held at Woodbridge Library from 7.30pm to 9pm, the evening will also include an update on the actions the town has taken against plastic reduction.
“A Plastic Tide is a documentary on plastic pollution and will explain to viewers the story of how plastics break down, how long this takes and how harmful they can be in our oceans,” says Charlie.
“I love plastic – it’s such a useful material – but plastic waste can be such a problem. It makes its way into our rivers and seas, is eaten by small fish and plankton, and then slowly affects the whole food chain.
“Even materials that say they are biodegradable never really disappear. They break down into millions of tiny pieces, but can still cause harm.
“We hope the film showing will be an opportunity to raise further awareness, and for people to bring along and share their ideas on how they can make a difference.”
Charlie believes even small changes can have a big impact, and these changes don’t have to be expensive.
“We can cut down on using a lot of things really easily,” Charlie explains. “Opting to fill up a reusable bottle instead of buying water in a disposable plastic bottle, taking your own bags when shopping instead of buying 5p plastic ones and avoiding disposable straws all adds up.”
Another event planned in the coming months, which aims to continue Transition Woodbridge’s hard work, is The Great British Spring Clean. Working with Woodbridge WI groups, and with the support of Woodbridge Town Council and Suffolk Norse, the event will be taking place from Friday, March 2 to Sunday, March 4.
The group believes it is essential that people are aware that litter dropped on the streets will often find its way through drains or by the wind, into rivers and then the sea. Litter in rivers and the sea can then result in many problems, some of which were recently highlighted in BBC’s Blue Planet II.
The group wants to do its bit to prevent this from happening. The Great British Spring Clean aims to clean up along the A12, and in the town centre, and hopes that locals will be interested in volunteering to help.
If you’re interested in helping tidy up the town as part of one of its litter picking morning or afternoon sessions, contact springcleanwoodbridge@gmail.com for more details.
Alternatively, for more information visit the Transition Woodbridge website.
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