WIMBORNE Business Improvement District (BID) is calling on businesses to rethink, reuse and refill by supporting Wimborne War on Waste effort’s to create a plastic free town.

The town became a ‘Plastic Free Community’ in 2028, becoming only the second town in Dorset to be given this status by Surfers Against Sewage who spearhead the plastic-free community movement.

To qualify for this status, the town must have a certain number of businesses hailed as plastic-free champions alongside campaigning community groups and organisations working at strategic level and all working together to reduce the use of single-use plastic in the town.

Ione Crossley is a BID Director and co-owner of Salamander Cookshop, one of Wimborne’s Plastic Free Champions.

Ione said: “Wimborne’s businesses understand that customers expect them to be doing what they can for the environment.

“We value our partnership with Wimborne War on Waste and also Planet Wimborne, who support the BID’s many sustainability initiatives and are always available to help businesses become more sustainable.”

A Plastic Free Community spokesperson said: “It’s not about removing all plastic from our lives. It’s about kicking our addiction to throwaway plastic and changing the system that produces it.”

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The re-usable Wimborne Cup was introduced for the first time at this year’s Wimborne Folk Festival to help reduce the environmental waste created by such large-scale events.

Sarah Wise, co-founder of Wimborne War on Waste (WWOW), a grassroots community group who set up to raise awareness of the environmental impact of single-use plastic said: “There’s a whole range of single-use plastic alternatives that are easy to introduce and inexpensive in the long term.

“For example, many of Wimborne’s eateries have replaced single-use sachets of sauce with refillable glass bottles or introduced reusable glasses for water.

“Offices and organisations like the Teachers Building Society also use recycled paper and notebooks. It can be as simple as swapping to a refillable soap dispenser in the staff bathroom.”

She added: “Wimborne BID has been so positive in supporting us to get our message out to local businesses.

“The BID has also taken an active role at a strategic level, attending meetings with Planet Wimborne and Wimborne Town Council to progress environmental sustainability in the town. Their support is invaluable.”

The town must reapply for status every year.

Sarah added: “We’d love to see more businesses get on board, get involved and get accredited.”

Wimborne War on Waste is also seeking more volunteers.

“Our litter picks are not just about tidying up the town,” a spokesperson said.

“We feed information back to Surfers Against Sewage who collate the data and use it to lobby government. This citizen science is an important step in driving change at a government level.”

To find out more about how you can reduce single-use plastic in your business, contact Sarah Wise at wimbornewaronwaste@gmail.com or visit www.plasticfree.org.uk/get-involved/business/

To find out more about how you can get involved with environmental groups in Wimborne visit www.planetwimborne.org/community-groups