THE team at Plastic Free Lyme Regis (PFLR) is celebrating a year of achievements after it managed to tick off many of its aims.

Since Turn Lyme Green formed the PFLR steering group in March 2018, they have managed to encourage many businesses, shops and restaurants in the town to cut down on single-use plastic and make changes to become more environmentally friendly.

The group were the first in Dorset to achieve the Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) Plastic Free Community Award and 23rd in the UK as well as encouraging more than 20 locations across the town to act as refill stations for residents and visitors with water bottles.

Smaller cafes and restaurants are now in a buying cooperative to attain better prices on non-plastics and 15 businesses and organisations have received an individual SAS award for removing three types of single-use plastic from their workplace.

PFLR in partnership with One Girl Productions presented ‘Sea What’s There’, an evening of talks, film, facts and discussion on the effects of plastic, climate change, pollution and over-fishing on our seas.

The group set up the PFLR supporters’ scheme and hosted ‘Going Green is Good for Business’ events, in which businesses have cut down on single-use plastics and shared their knowledge.

The team is working with the carnival committee to look at using fireworks that contain no or reduced plastic and continue to mentor and support organisers and groups in Charmouth, which is working towards an SAS Plastic Free Community Award.

Grenville Barr, chairman of PFLR, said: “Last year was a brilliant year for us. We have achieved so much.

“From a standing start and with tremendous effort, we obtained accreditation and the award from SAS in June 2018. This has only been achieved by the wider community rallying around us and supported us in our quest.

“Businesses, in particular, have come forward, sharing with us and others how they have reduced the use of plastic.

“We have been delighted that the town as a whole really values and supports this environment first, plastic-free attitude that we have helped to cultivate.

“For 2019, our priorities are to encourage and assist further reductions in our plastic consumption by continuing to talk to, inform, educate and facilitate businesses, locals and visitors alike, showing them that they can really make a difference to the amount of plastic we consume.

“We also want to work with the town and district councils and Dorset Waste Partnership to see if we can improve recycling in the town.

“Finally, we want to integrate our schools into the programme so that they can be involved in helping us have a more ethical and environmental future – it is their future we are working towards.”

For more information, visit www.plasticfreelyme.uk