Your Environment

My name is Michael Hallam and I am the founder and Network coordinator for the Ethical Small Traders Association (ESTA). www.lancasteresta.org Ultimately our personal health depends on the health of the wider environment, which is why the ESTA Network is prioritising our environmental impact and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) in 2021. In particular we are focussing on Goal 12: "Responsible consumption and production". This means doing what we can to make our local manufacturing, supply and waste chains as 'clean' as possible. Just as our bodies depend upon wellfunctioning balanced cycles to function healthily then so too should our economy, industry and society. Too many toxins building up can ultimately be fatal. One of the biggest 'toxins' is all the plastic waste we continually generate. That’s why ESTA has teamed up with the Small Green Consultancy and Precious Plastic Lancaster to launch the Plastic Bottle Top Project. (PBT). We launched in the autumn and our goal is simple: We are asking people to keep hold of the tops they generate in their household, clean them and take them to one of our independent local retailer collection points. From there they are sorted into different colours and types and taken to Precious Plastic Lancaster team, where they are shredded and made into new durable household items (plant pots, soap dishes, combes, etc) to create a local circular supply chain. We are also asking local businesses to pledge financial support to the project, based on the number of tops that are collected. In return they will be awarded Social Value points to demonstrate that they are actively giving back to the local community. We have got off to a flying start with over 10,000 tops collected to date and have over 300 members in our project Facebook Group: Plastic Bottle Top Project. Eventually we hope to have several projects on the go, where local materials, which could otherwise go into the waste stream provide the raw materials for local artisan re-manufacturers, whilst building up a fund to support local community organisations that are seeking to address the root cause of local poverty. So start collecting, join our Facebook group and, if you are a business consider making a donation pledge. If your business is interested in pledging support please contact info@lancasteresta.org for more details.

Current collection points: • Single Step – Lancaster – www.singlestep.org.uk • The Assembly Rooms – Lancaster – www.lancaster.gov.uk/sites/markets/new-assembly-rooms • Northern Yarn – Lancaster – www.northernyarn.co.uk • Beach Bird – Morecambe – www.facebook.com/thebeachbird Please check respective websites for opening times.