Single-use plastics (SUPs)
We've committed to stop using avoidable single-use plastics in our buildings and services. We want to help other organisations in the city to do the same. So, we’re sharing our work and useful tools we've used.
Single-use plastics are plastic items that people only use once:
- takeaway drink cups and lids
- drink bottles
- cutlery
- bin bags
- plastic straws
- packaging
Some single-use plastics are unavoidable, such as personal protective equipment (PPE). But we’re talking about avoidable single-use plastics. They're non-essential and not reusable.
What we’re doing
We created an action plan and identified the changes we needed to make. We’ve made a lot of progress by:
- checking what we buy
- asking our business partners to use alternatives (and making it part of our contracts)
- raising awareness among our residents, partners and colleagues of ways to reduce use
We’ve greatly reduced the single-use plastic that we and our contractors use. But there’s still more to do. Our climate change action plan for 2025 to 2030 will ensure we continue to remove more.
Manchester is a Refill city. Businesses and organisations are signing up as Refill sites. This change will make a huge impact on plastic waste. And the option to refill will also benefit people living in and visiting our city.
What you can do
UK law changed in 2023. More single-use plastic items are now banned. Check you know what they are. Go to www.gov.uk/guidance/single-use-plastics-bans-and-restrictions.
In Manchester, we want to go further. We want to stop using avoidable single-use plastics in the city. Find more ways to reduce plastic waste at www.gmgreencity.com/plastic-free-GM.
Join Refill. Register as a Refill site on the free app.
If you run or host events, use our free guide to becoming more sustainable.