Plastic Free Ilford Event in Valentines Park

Why do we care about a Plastic-Free Ilford?

Plastic can be a very useful resource and can help many people in our community who truly need it...

But much of the single-use plastic in our communities is dumped in other communities in the developing world. It is a burden that is too big for all of us to manage. Therefore, we need to stop production at the source, before it is too late!

Please watch “The Story of Plastic” which summarises the issue perfectly.

What do we envision in the future?

Transition Town Ilford are a collective of people that always dream of a better future for everybody... but we are proud to engage in action towards our dreams! We truly believe that with outreach, education, engagement and solidarity, we can have an Ilford that embraces refill shops, has green spaces that are free of plastic, has a thriving local wildlife that is no longer blighted by plastic, and a space that future generations can enjoy. We hope that with time, patience and consistent action, we can create an awareness and understanding about the plastic problem. We also believe we can follow in the footsteps of so many other communities that have successfully managed the issue of single-use plastic in their communities!

What we did?

We have kick-started our campaign to begin with Plastic-free July. Our first campaign steps were:

1. Hosting a plastic-free tea party!

We did this to increase engagement and awareness within our community about plastic and the effect it has on our town. We also hoped to show our neighbours that we can host a tea party, with snacks that aren’t plastic-packaged... and that are just as delicious!!

Date: 17th July at Brisbane Road and 24th July at Valentines Road

2. A Plastic Survey!

We conducted a litter pick to survey the plastic waste in an area of our community. This was not just your ordinary litter-pick! This was a fun event, with activities for children, and an opportunity to come together as citizens and conduct an event that gathered basic research data.

Date: 31st July in Valentines Park

We identified:

a) what type of plastic each item is made out of?

b) which companies make the plastic?

c) how long it takes to breakdown?

We hoped that by doing a survey we can raise awareness about where the plastic waste is coming from. Using the data that we have gathered, we want to start a conversation with those individuals responsible for producing the plastic waste that blights our community.

Our very own MP for Ilford South, Sam Tarry attended the event and agreed more needs to be done to tackle the single-use plastic problem.