Brighton Journal spoke to Carole Mortimer, a Green Party Volunteer who launched the petition in a bid to make all Brighton events plastic free by 2020.
A petition has been launched calling upon Brighton and Hove City Council and organisers to commit to becoming plastic-free at citywide events.
Brighton & Hove Green Party Volunteer Campaigns Co-ordinator, Carole Mortimer, started the appeal to pressure for the eradication of single-use plastic items at popular events across Brighton and Hove.
Speaking to Brighton Journal, Ms Mortimer said: “Too many otherwise brilliant events over the last year have left our parks, streets and beaches strewn with plastic cups, bottles and packaging.
“It looks horrendous, it’s terrible for wildlife, it lasts for hundreds of years – and the alternatives are out there.”
“With the help of our supporters, we’re going to speak to the biggest event organisers to find out their plans for 2019 and 2020 and we’ll be celebrating the ones that are doing the right thing.”
In a letter to the council, the appeal highlights how “events create vast amounts of additional waste such as water bottles from the marathon or disposable plastic glasses during the Festival and Pride”.
Ms Mortimer hopes to get all political parties on board with the campaign and she will be challenging the Council to set a clear deadline for eliminating single-use plastics at events in the city.
Brighton Journal approached Brighton and Hove City Council for comment, who released the following statement:
A council spokesperson said: “As lead partner of The Living Coast UNESCO World Biosphere Region, Brighton & Hove City Council is committed to taking leadership on tackling the plastic waste problem by taking responsibility for its own impact on the environment and society, both within the local area and across the globe.
“The council is working to minimise the use of single-use plastics across its own operations and services and by all staff and pro-actively work with partners to find positive solutions for reducing unnecessary waste plastics across the city.
“This work is overseen by a single-use plastics board that is responsible for responding to areas of opportunity, working together to overcome challenges, identifying innovative solutions and ensuring that good progress is being made.”
The petition suggests an end to non-reusable plastic items at events by 2020 at the latest in Brighton and Hove.
The condition of the city after big events has sparked big debates among many residents in recent months, challenging the large amounts of waste generated around Brighton.
After Brighton and Hove’s Pride weekend this year, outrage erupted over social media against the mass of litter covering Brighton Beach, despite festival volunteers regularly cleaning the area.
Brighton Marathon is another big event in the city using single-use plastic bottles, which they are looking into changing for next year’s race.
The petition has received a positive reaction on social media and has surpassed 1,500 signatures so far.
BrilliNt idea and Brighton can lead the country in starting a better plaatic free future