Minutes

Councillor C. Evans asked:

Dear Cabinet Member,

Will your administration show some real environmental leadership by banning single use plastics from its premises? Including schools, the Civic Centre and buildings rented or leased to third or fourth parties.

Further, since the motion at full Council with regard to single use plastic.

Can you update us on what your administration has actually done to promote the use of reusable coffee cups and decrease the sale of single use plastics on its premises and throughout our City? 

Councillor Jeavons and Councillor Whitcutt responded:

The Council is committed to reduce single-use plastics and is working on a number of different initiatives to tackle use of non-recyclable and single use plastics:

Commitment to National Refill campaign to stop use of single use plastic water bottles:

-        First drinking water fountain installed in Belle Vue Park on Refill Nation Day (19/06/19), with more fountains to be added to the network soon.

-        Four Council buildings added to the Refill app, to be used as free points to refill water bottles. Support being provided to the organisation to achieve ambitions to get 150 refill locations signed in Newport.

News on the inauguration event on Refill Day and Leader’s statement can be found here (Ctrl + click to open link).

Other initiatives include continued support for specific events/campaigns and work as part of the ‘LEQ Hub Cymru’; ongoing work to audit Council buildings to identify baseline and identify barriers to recycling / plastic reduction.

This includes the review of use of plastic cups in Civic Centre; improved recycling provision and sustainable options at the Civic Centre’s canteen. 

Schools: Review of catering services contract in 2019, also we are currently working on setting up a trial to improve food waste recycling at schools.