• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Latest News: SunGod x Surfers Against Sewage River Clean was a huge success Become a Member Today
  • About us
    • Team SAS
    • Reports & Publications
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our History
    • Our Funding
    • Job Opportunities
    • FAQs
    • SAS Films
    • SAS Privacy Policy
  • Contact us
    • Health Report Form
    • Reporting pollution
  • Check your water quality
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Members’ area
  • SAS Privacy Policy

Surfers Against Sewage

header-right

Main navigation

  • Our Work
    • Water Quality
      • Email your MP
      • Rivers Petition
      • Water Quality Report
      • Safer Seas & Rivers Service
      • Submit Health Report
      • Report a pollution incident
      • Facts & Figures
    • Ocean & Climate
      • Ocean and Climate Report
      • Youth Ocean & Climate Manifesto
      • Educational Resources
      • SAS Net Zero
      • Facts and Figures
    • Ocean Recovery
      • Ocean Recovery Report
      • Facts and Figures
    • Plastic Pollution
      • Deposit Return Scheme
      • Brand Audit Report
      • Plastic Free Awards
      • Facts and Figures
    • Million Mile Clean
    • SAS Chapters Network
    • Community Partners Network
    • Plastic Free Communities
      • Dashboard Login
      • Organise a Mass Unwrap
    • Education
      • Plastic Free Schools
      • Ocean School
      • Digital Ocean School
      • Waves of Optimism
      • Ysgol y Mor
    • Talking Politics
      • The Ocean Conservation APPG
  • Take action
    • Sign the Water Quality Petition
    • Demand your MP pipes up
    • Organise Your Million Mile Clean
    • Ask for a Deposit Return Scheme
    • Join Plastic Free Schools
    • Lead a Plastic Free Community
    • Become a Member
    • Volunteer With Us
      • Surf Activists
    • Spacer
    • Fundraise
      • Fundraising Events
      • Virtual Fundraising
      • How to Guides
      • Ideas and Tips for your Event
      • Fundraising FAQ’s
    • Become a Corporate Partner
      • Why partner with SAS?
      • Different ways to support our work
      • The Ocean Network
      • Our Partners
    • Leave a Gift in Your Will
  • In Your Region
  • Shop
  • Shop
    • Sale
    • Accessories
      • Bags
      • Books
      • Bottles & Coffee Cups
      • Hats & Headwear
      • Homeware
      • Jewellery
    • Men’s
      • Men’s T-shirts
      • Men’s Sweats and Hoodies
    • Women’s
      • Women’s T-shirts
      • Unisex T-shirts
      • Women’s Sweats and Hoodies
    • New
    • Eco Living
    • Kid’s
    • CartCart 0 items - £0.00
  • News
  • Join/Donate
  • Get involved
  • About the movement
  • Communities near me
  • Stories
< Previous story Next Story >

Plans to build Plastic Free Birmingham help set wheels in motion to see 2022 Commonwealth Games become the greenest Games ever

Facebook Twitter Email

 

The 2022 Commonwealth Games could become greener than ever before, as a motion is passed to help one of the UK’s biggest cities become plastic free.

It comes as campaigners in Birmingham strive to create Plastic Free Communities, as part of the Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaign to rid the UK of avoidable single-use plastics and help individuals and businesses become more environmentally-friendly.

 

Now, a motion put forward by councillors in the city has been passed and includes what Birmingham City Council has described as an element which requires the 2022 Commonwealth Games to minimise the amount of single-use plastic items during the event.

 

Neil Carney, project director of the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham City Council, says that sustainability is already forming a key part of the strategy, though the details of how this will happen are still yet to be discussed.

 

During the recent Plastic Free Birmingham Inquiry, which saw councillors talk about how the 2022 Games could build on the sustainability work of the previous event on the Gold Coast in 2018, he told fellow councillors: “If we’re doing anything for eleven days of sports, and I say this as a sports nut, then we are wasting our time. It has to be about the next 25 years.

 

“This is where the games can be a catalyst for change, can be a catalyst for conversation.

 

“Games in the past have proved a great way of having and making space for conversations that sometimes can’t be held for various agendas in the city region they happen to be in – but this is where the barriers fall down.”

 

The official sustainability policy for the event is still under consultancy, but Neil also highlighted that looking at how they can drive momentum to change attitudes of the community is a top concern.

 

He added: “It’s not about doing something shiny for eleven days – that’s not an outcome. The outcome has to be; what has this spring-board changed for 20 years’ time, for our kids?

 

“That is where we can hopefully help with some sort of behavioural change and use our athlete ambassadors and the tools at our disposal to connect with people to say that this [plastic pollution] is real and this is something that we need to take seriously.”

 

The inquiry was launched following the plastic free motion, which went through in January, thanks to pressure from local conservation and environmental groups to make change happen.

Plastic Free Moseley volunteers conducting one of their regular litter picks

 

One of those groups included Plastic Free Moseley, who have been working to help businesses in their local area achieve Plastic Free Champion status through the SAS Plastic Free Communities objectives.

 

Following the approval of the motion, community lead Jess Channing said: “When it went through Birmingham City Council and had cross-party support, I think it was a really great step in the right direction. It’s become too well known now – it’s going to be hard for them not to take active steps.

 

“Since the Clean Kilo, a plastic free shop, came about in July last year, there has been quite a vocal, supportive group of this motion and we know that it has had a wide, positive response.”

 

A full report following the inquiry is expected to be released in May or June of this year, ahead of plans to tackle how Birmingham will become ‘plastic free’.

Help spread the word

TwitterFacebook

Primary Sidebar

Other ways to help

Donate via paypal Become a member Fundraise for us
< Previous story Next Story >

Related Stories

Plastic Free Communities Call for #LessPlasticPlease

  Mass Unwrap 2020 calls on communities across the UK to highlight the scale of pointless plastic packaging in supermarkets.…

Read now >

Strode College Becomes the first Plastic Free Communities Approved College in the UK

Strode College has joined a growing network of communities across the UK who are leading the way to tackle throwaway…

Read now >

Unpacking Refill and Reuse in the Age of Corona

Scroll back to February 2020. It felt like we were beginning to turn the tide on plastic pollution. Business and…

Read now >

Other ways to help

Donate via paypal Become a member Fundraise for us

About the movement:

  • Communities near me
  • Lead a community
  • Plastic Free Communities

Other Plastic Free campaigns:

  • Plastic Free Schools
  • Plastic Free Parliament

Campaign contact details

  • 01872 555950
  • [email protected]
plastic free coastlines logo

Footer

Surfers Against Sewage

Wheal Kitty Workshops, St Agnes, Cornwall, TR5 0RD

Tel: 01872 553 001 • Contact us

Registered in England & Wales No. 2920815
Registered Charity in England & Wales No. 1145877

Sign up for our email newsletter

  • ABOUT
  • OUR WORK
  • TAKE ACTION
  • YOUR REGION
  • SHOP
  • NEWS
  • JOIN US

© 2022 Surfers Against Sewage · All Rights Reserved · Terms · Site by Charity & Biscuits. Original design by RoomFive | Sitemap

The Ocean Conservation Register

Please complete the fields below to access your download link. This information will allow us to understand the use of the register and how to best improve it for future editions.

By clicking on the “Register” button, you are indicating that you have read, understood, and agree to Surfers Against Sewage Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.