THE changing attitude towards single-use plastic, in part linked to the Blue Planet TV series, could see Monmouthshire County Council commit to becoming a plastic-free authority.

The council’s strong communities select could make a policy commitment to reduce to the use of plastic, in line with a marine charity campaign.

If adopted, the authority could become one of the first plastic-free county councils in the UK, a status usually given to towns by Surfers Against Sewage.

In the report written by Carl Touhig, head of waste and street services, and Hazel Clatworthy, sustainability policy officer, it says Abergavenny, Chepstow, Monmouth and Usk have already established plastic-free groups.

“As part of the plastic-free work happening in the towns, some – but not all – of the towns are working towards becoming plastic-free communities, under an accreditation scheme run by Surfers Against Sewage,” it adds.

“There has been a huge increase in interest in reducing the use of single-use plastics in the last few months, not least because of the shocking scenes of plastic contamination in our oceans shown on the BBC’s Blue Planet series.

“Single-use plastics use precious fossil fuels, take hundreds of years to break down, injure wildlife on land and at sea, blight the landscape as litter, block drains and cost money to buy, clear up and dispose of.”

The council is also looking into alternatives for unrecyclable items used in the County Hall and Magor council buildings, after spending £1.735.13 on products in the previous municipal year.

The council spent £115.52 on 8,000 plastic cups, £611.64 on 9,000 disposable coffee cups, £999 on 26,640 milk pots and £8.97 on 2,300 plastic spoons.

Monmouthshire is developing a five-step plan to work towards plastic-free status and a Welsh Government environment and sustainable development grant will give the council a £3,000 budget for plastic reduction work.

“There are multiple positive contributions to the wellbeing goals associated with reducing plastic use, which will benefit the local and global environment, reduce resource use, make communities more attractive and save money on litter collection,” says report.

“There may be some additional costs for businesses or the council when sourcing alternatives to plastic use, but there may also be savings on purchase and disposal of plastic waste.”

Other ideas on the table include the possible use of re-usable recycling bags over single use, which is under discussion with the council’s waste and street services team.