A KNOWLE church has joined the fight against plastic waste – and it is calling on residents to join them.
Members at Knowle Parish Church took on the challenge to reduce their household waste over lent by using their own containers at the supermarket and looking at other ways to reduce plastic.
Over Easter a cross surrounded by waste was put up in the churchyard.
Church members also ‘twinned’ their household bins through the charity initiative Bin Twinning – and encouraged neighbours to do the same.
Bin Twinning helps provide seed funding for social enterprises overseas which are setting up bin collections and recycling projects in vulnerable communities for the first time.
More than 60 households in Knowle and surrounding villages now have Bin Twinning stickers on their bins to show they’re twinned with projects overseas.
It was the waste crisis affecting poorer countries overseas and the way waste generated in the UK exacerbates their problems that prompted Knowle Parish Church to take action.
Claire Carter, chair of the church’s Eco Group, said: “It’s an uncomfortable truth that some of our waste ends up overseas, waste gets into waterways, and eventually the ocean, and can end up anyway in the world.
“We’ve all heard about plastic in the ocean, but the statistics like ‘a person dies every 30 seconds from a disease related to waste’ are shocking.
“Plastic waste has now entered our food chain, even our blood.
“People liked the idea of twinning their bins as the stickers they receive are a great conversation-starter and a way of raising awareness, particularly when more and more of them start appearing in an area.”
Bin Twinning chief executive Lorraine Kingsley said: “We’re so grateful to Knowle Parish Church for helping to raise awareness and tackle waste in such creative ways”
