Who are we?
Plastic Free Exmouth is an active voluntary community group, formed in 2019, working with the local council, local businesses, schools and members of the local community to gain accreditation as a Plastic Free Community with Surfers Against Sewage.
To achieve this accreditation, the group had to meet certain criteria by actively encouraging local business, schools and members of the local community to reduce their single-use plastic consumption and adopt a more environmentally friendly and sustainable lifestyle.
Plastic Free Exmouth endeavour to continue their efforts to reduce the town's single-use plastic usage following their recent plastic free certification.
The voluntary community group is made up of a core steering group and a team of regular, selfless volunteers who dedicate their time and show passion for protecting the environment and fighting the war on single-use plastic.
The main goal is to reduce single-use plastic and prevent it from destroying our precious coastline and oceans.
We work with these local community groups and businesses to help educate on the devastating effects of plastic pollution and seek ways to reduce our single-use plastic consumption.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to proactively inspire local people, schools, businesses and community groups to reduce their plastic consumption and to educate in the dangers of plastic pollution.
We aim to achieve this by:
- Weekly organised beach cleans in Exmouth
- Facilitating and attending Exmouth Town festivals
- Regular educational events in schools, businesses and the local community
- Supporting local community events
- Utilising social media platforms to raise awareness and spread education to the wider community
- Working alongside ‘Surfers Against Sewage’ to support and promote their cause
- A dedicated steering group committed to making change within our local community
Campaigns
We are currently campaigning to reduce the number of cigarette butts we find on the beach and streets of Exmouth.
We ask people to please dispose of cigarette butts in a bin, rather than dropping them on the ground, as they inevitably end up being washed down drains and into the sea.
Cigarette butts contain plastic and toxins which are damaging to the environment and wildlife.
We are distributing posters and working with Exmouth Town Council as part of their work Tackling the Climate & Ecological Emergency to install more cigarette bins in the town
Who are ‘Surfers Against Sewage’
Surfers Against Sewage is a national marine conservation and campaigning charity that inspires, unites and empowers communities to take action to protect oceans, beaches, waves and wildlife.
The Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Community network aims to free the places where we live from single-use plastic.
Using the five point plan the aim is to empower communities to kick start local grassroots action, which can then be built upon.
The marine conservation charity, based in St Agnes in Cornwall, wants to unite communities to tackle avoidable plastic from the beach all the way back to the brands and businesses who create it.
It is not about removing all plastic from our lives, but kicking our addiction to throwaway plastic and changing the system that produces it.
Rachel Yates, SAS Plastic Free Communities Project Manager, said: “It’s great to see the work that Exmouth has done to reduce the availability of avoidable plastics, raise awareness and encourage people to refill and reuse.
We have over six hundred communities across the UK working to reduce single use plastic and the impact it has on our environment.
Every step those 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.”
