Make A Change

Making the right choices

It’s not always easy to make the most sustainable choice, and any choice we make has an impact on our planet. #PlasticFreeGM aims to talk openly about the difficulties and pitfalls of trying to make sustainable choices, offering practical advice and support to businesses and organisations struggling to work out what steps to take for the best.

What is the best option?

Our aim is to stamp out avoidable single use plastics, and increase sustainable, reusable, compostable, and recyclable choices in Greater Manchester. The best option is to follow the waste hierarchy – it’s a good general rule for making decisions about how to act more sustainably.

• Create no waste at all – This applies most to items like drinking straws, where you could make the decision to simply do without and only offer straws to people that need them.

• Go reusable where possible – As a general rule, moving from disposable to reusable is more sustainable. This applies to items like plates and cutlery. There are a number of studies that show that overall, reusable crockery and cutlery is better for the planet than any type of disposable.

• Choose items that can be easily recycled – If you are going to use single-use items, like take-out coffee cups, drinking straws, or napkins, try to make sure they are made from easily recyclable materials. As a business we advise that you always talk to your waste management company to make sure the alternative items you choose can be properly recycled or composted. In Greater Manchester, residents cannot put compostable items in their food and garden bin at home.