Brockenhurst has been recognised as one of the communities leading the way in tackling throw away plastic at source.

The “Plastic Free Community” status was awarded by Surfers Against Sewage and backed by Welcome’s Brockenhurst store and the Brockenhurst Village Hall in recognition of the work it has done to start reducing the impact of single-use plastic on the environment.

We heard from the team at Plastic Free Brockenhurst who sent us the following article to share with you. For more information, you can go to the website or follow the journey on Facebook.

The need for plastic-free

As an initiative of Greener Brockenhurst the campaign started last year after the idea was put forward at a community meeting and taken forward as a way of encouraging villagers, community groups and businesses to change habits.

Registering with the SAS Plastic Free Communities movement the group pulled together key organisations and businesses in the village to put in place a five-point plan.

The objectives included; setting up a community led steering group, instigating the SAS Plastic Free Schools education programme, getting local council commitment and working with local businesses, organisations and community groups to spread the word and minimise the amount of disposable plastics they use.

The campaign has had fantastic backing

Community groups in Brockenhurst in particular have all shown great commitment and support for the campaign. We now have in excess of 12 Community groups who have signed their pledge to become community allies – including Welcome’s Brockenhurst store – and consider ways to cut down on the amount of plastic they use in their activities. They have also pledged to communicate the aims of the campaign to their members.

Other support has come from St Saviours Church, the Scouts, Brownies, Mothers Union, The Allotment Association, The Village Hall Brockenhurst Business Association and the WI.

A plastic-free promise

Businesses have also played their part in winning the accreditation and made pledges on initiatives they will take to cut down on the plastic they use. Businesses that become Plastic Free Champions will display a badge of accreditation, so please look out for them around Brockenhurst.

The group is looking forward to more businesses taking the pledge to become champions as there are many that share the same ideals and we would encourage all businesses to step forward.

Plastic Free Community status is not easily won

It is a great achievement for the village and illustrates that there is a want and a wish to do more to reduce the amount of plastic used given the right encouragement.

A member of the Plastic Free Brockenhurst Campaign team said: “it has taken a lot of effort to get the accreditation but it great to see Brockenhurst join the many other communities committed to driving down their use of disposable plastic.”