Mistley and Lawford given plastic-free status by Surfers Against Sewage

Two villages have been given special environmental status after their businesses agreed to stop using single-use plastics.

Mistley and Lawford in Essex have been awarded plastic-free status by the campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS).

They have joined the nearby town of Manningtree in gaining the recognition.

Bekki Bibko, who started the campaign to ban plastics locally, said it was a sign of people coming together.

"Since we started the plastic-free campaign, there has been a real sense of different parts of the community coming together with a common goal," she said.

"It was my intention from the very start that Mistley and Lawford would form one plastic-free community with Manningtree, so I am delighted that all three have now been awarded accredited status."

Trinity Free Church, Manningtree Methodist Church and Mistley Church have all agreed to ban single-use plastics, along with groups of gardeners, the Rotary Club of Stour Valley, Grace Notes Community Choir, Acorn Village and the Venture Centre Upholstery Group.

Ms Bibko is part of a local community group called Practical Actions for Climate and the Environment (PACE), which helped organise the recent Manningtree Earth Festival to give people inspiration and information about living sustainably.

Rachel Yates, SAS plastic-free communities project manager, said: "It's great to see the work that Mistley and Lawford have done to reduce the availability of avoidable plastics, raise awareness and encourage people to refill and reuse.

"Every step these communities and the individuals in them take is a step towards tackling the problem at source, challenging our throwaway culture and encouraging the habit and system changes we need to see."

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