World Environment Day on Tuesday 5th of June will be marked by Orkney Islands Council with an awareness raising event at Tesco Kirkwall from 10am to 3pm. 

At the Tesco event members of the public will be able to take a pledge to reduce, reuse or recycle their own use of plastics.

Jayne Venables OIC’s Project Coordination Manager for Waste said:

“Plastic pollution is one of the defining environmental challenges of our lifetime.

“For individuals, it can seem a momentous problem – but we can all, through reducing single use plastics, opting to recycle, and voting with our wallets, make a difference.

“This year we’ve seen local people tackle plastic pollution head on – from beach cleans by members of the public, to fantastic initiatives from school pupils such as the work St Andrews is doing making accessories from plastic wrappers, Glaitness School’s ‘Last Straw’ campaign, and Orphir School whose pupils collect a variety of miscellaneous plastics which are sent to Terracycle.

“Off the back of this we’re keen to make sure people are aware of the plastic recycling options provided by the Council here in Orkney.

“World Environment Day is also about inspiring change and action – so we’ll be inviting people to create a Personal Plastic Pledge and share it with us. We’ll post the best ideas on social media, and all entries will go into a prize draw to win a bag of goodies including alternatives to single-use plastics.”

Pledges can also be submitted via the Council’s Eco Active Orkney Facebook page   or by emailing recycling@orkney.gov.uk .

Some of the bruck collected on one of the beach cleans in Orkney

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