The second in a series of Worcester News features which explores the action being taken locally to boost biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions. Today the focus is on the road to a plastic-free Worcester
ACCORDING to estimates, England uses 1.1 billion single-use plates and 4.25 billion items of single-use cutlery per year – but only 10 per cent are recycled upon disposal.
There is now overwhelming evidence that plastic items can persist in the environment for hundreds of years and endanger wildlife and habitats. When broken down into microplastics they can infiltrate our soils, waterways, ocean and food chains.
Given recent proposals announced by the Government to phase out single-use plastic plates, cutlery, polystyrene cups and food and beverage containers, Worcester City Council is calling on local food businesses to act now.
But how difficult is it to run an eco-friendly café? Helen Stirling-Thompson, catering manager at the Heart of Worcestershire College, gives her advice.
Cutting your café’s carbon footprint
Helen runs six cafes across the college’s three sites at Worcester, Redditch and Bromsgrove, catering for a student and staff community of 5,182.
“Working with local suppliers, where possible, is very important to me,” she says. “The shorter the distance our food has to travel, generally the lower its carbon footprint will be.
Soup is served in a biodegradable bowl
“I’m also mindful of the fact that a number of our students will be seeking jobs in this area’s food industry in the future, so it makes sense all round to buy local.”
The college also purchases products from Bidfood and Britvic, as both companies have made strong commitments to lowering CO2 emissions.
Another firm favourite is Simply Lunch, a family-run business which is so committed to sustainability that it calculates the carbon footprint on every sandwich it sells.
“When we go out to tender for new products or services, we always ask to see prospective suppliers’ sustainability credentials,” says Helen.
“The price difference between sustainable and non-sustainable products and packaging is shrinking all the time.”
There’s a wide range of vegetarian and vegan food and drink on offer across the college’s sites
The college’s menus are regularly refreshed and more vegetarian and vegan options have been introduced.
When waste is unavoidable unsold products are donated to food banks or St Paul’s Hostel for the Homeless, cutting down on food waste.
Check out compostable packaging
Nearly all products purchased in the college’s cafes are wrapped in fully biodegradable plant-based compostable packaging produced by Vegware.
Buying large bottles of ketchup and mayonnaise has eliminated the need for small sauce sachets
Helen buys sugar in individual Vegware sachets and has completely eliminated pesky plastic from sauce sachets by purchasing big bottles of ketchup and mayonnaise.
“Catering staff offer a portion of sauce on the side of the plate when they’re serving the customer,” she explains. “This not only eliminates single-use plastic and waste; it has saved us money too.”
Now that students are back in larger numbers post-pandemic, the College’s reusable cup and bottle campaign is being reinstated.
Reusable cups help to cut down on plastic waste – and there’s a financial incentive for using them as well in the form of a discount
Anyone bringing their own cup or bottle will get a 15p discount off their drink. And if you forget you can hire one for £1, refundable on return.
Looking to cut down on plastic?
For advice and support, contact Plastic Free Worcester via their Facebook page – or email Peter Robinson at plasticfreeworcester@gmail.com.
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