A FLINTSHIRE group is joining millions of people in reducing their plastic waste this month.

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to reduce the amount of plastic used and the pollution it causes.

The idea started in Australia and has inspired over 250 million people to take part in 177 countries.

Shannon Jones from Mold Plastic Reduction group said, “While no one can do everything, everyone can do something. And all our small individual changes to reduce the amount of plastic we use and the waste it creates adds up to making a massive difference in our communities.

“There are lots of ways to be part of Plastic Free July – you can sign up for the Plastic Free July Challenge; choose to refuse single-use plastics this month; and find great non-plastic alternative products.

“Here in Mold and the surrounding area we’re going to take some hands-on action with mini-cleans.

"We can’t organise the big group litter picks we normally have – but we can go out individually or in family groups and collect litter in a small local patch, to help protect our streets, parks and river banks from plastic pollution.

“The beauty of mini-cleans is that it’s up to you when, where and how you do it during July.

"And if you’d like to borrow a litter picker, just get in touch with Mold Town Council by phoning 01352 758532 or emailing events@moldtowncouncil.org.uk to arrange collection or delivery.

“Take a photo of your July mini-clean haul and upload that to Plastic Reduction Mold facebook please.

"If you want to take it a stage further, then let us know which are the most littered brands that you find. We’ve got a simple form you can complete.

"This information is useful locally by Mold Town Council as well as nationally by Keep Wales Tidy and in the UK by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS).

“Let’s love where we live and help keep our streets free of plastic and litter. Let’s make this fun. And let’s champion those who go out of their way to help look after our planet.”

Amy Slack, head of campaigns at Surfers Against Sewage said: “Anti-littering campaigns will be set for further failure unless the root causes of plastic pollution are addressed through a radical change in our approach to materials and recycling systems.

"Big business continues to put profits ahead of preventing plastic pollution and we urge them to deliver fast and meaningful action today to protect the planet.”

SAS’s award-winning campaign #ReturnToOffender has been challenging big brands on the volume of plastic and packaging pollution found on beaches and other wild spaces.

Thousands of individuals across the UK have taken part in the digital action documenting the branded plastic and packaging pollution they found during their isolated outdoor activity during the pandemic lockdown.

The campaign has revealed that just 12 big brands are responsible for over half of the UK’s plastic and packaging pollution. Coca-Cola was identified as the worst polluter out of 207 brands, responsible for 15 per cent of the plastic waste recorded. The plastic pollution crisis is choking our rivers, ocean and countryside, and destroying delicate ecosystems and killing marine wildlife.

Surfers Against Sewage is calling for a reduction of the production and consumption of single-use plastics.

Alongside the environmental action directed at big businesses, the marine conservation charity is also asking the UK government to introduce an ‘all in’ comprehensive Deposit Return Scheme and Extended Producer Responsibility by 2023 to ensure manufactures are responsible for 100% of the costs of their plastic waste management.

As lock-down restrictions lift and the public return to their most-missed environments we are already seeing a vast increase of plastic and packaging pollution on UK beaches. This highlighted the sheer scale of single-use plastics being pumped onto the market and into public hands without sufficient recycling systems to contain and control the ‘wave of waste’.

The SAS ‘post-pandemic pollution poll’ has highlighted the main actions the public want to see in order to tackle the issue with the results ranging from education on the impacts of plastic to a reduction in plastic production. As the UK emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is vital that we ‘build back better’ and ensure that big business is held truly accountable for the full life-cycle of their products and the pollution they cause.