A new Ceredigion plastic and packaging reduction scheme has been launched.

The scheme is being carried out by Ceredigion County Council’s Conservation and Waste Management teams, together with the Welsh voluntary environmental charity, Keep Wales Tidy.

The scheme has been established with funding from Natural Resources Wales in an attempt to both raise awareness and to try and reduce the increasing amount of plastic that makes its way into the marine environment.

The aim is to encourage businesses, particularly cafés and takeaway outlets, but also other organisations including schools, to rethink their plastic use and to reduce both their packaging and plastic use.

The scheme has various accreditation certificates which are distributed to businesses depending on the actions that have been taken.

The first accreditation certificates have been awarded to the owners of The Beach Hut and Caffi Patio in Llangrannog.

Both cafés are committed to reducing their packaging, providing sustainable packaging, not offering single use sauce sachets and providing customers with free water re-fills.

Melanie Heath, Cardigan Bay marine protected area officer, said: “We piloted a marine litter reduction project in Llangrannog in 2016, in collaboration with Keep Wales Tidy.

“This pilot project was a success, and as a result we have now received funding from NRW to roll out an accreditation scheme to encourage businesses and other organisations throughout Ceredigion to reduce both their plastic and packaging use.”

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