The Lord Burghley pub becomes the first plastic free champion as campaign to make Stamford a plastic free community gathers pace

A pub has become the first business to throw its weight behind a town’s bid to become a plastic free community.

The Lord Burghley, in Broad Street, Stamford, is the first plastic free champion after identifying and removing at least three throwaway items from the premises.

Landlord Tom Griffiths and barmaid Amber Shepherd received the accreditation from Plastic Free Stamford coordinator, Aled Pattison, on Friday (November 8).

Amber, 25, and from Stamford, said: “It’s good to be named as Stamford’s first plastic free champion and quite an accomplishment.

“We just wanted to do it and hope others will follow and take notice and start taking more action towards reducing plastic waste.

“It’s just something that we agree with and very important for modern life and the environment.

“We became aware of the campaign through social media and I think most people know how damaging to the environment plastic can be.”

The pub has replaced plastic drinking straws with a more sustainable and recyclable paper version, replaced plastic milk capsules with ceramic cartons and totally removed plastic stirrers.

Amber added the kitchen will be the next place where the pub is looking to clamp down on the use of plastics, especially when it comes to the packaging sauces come in.

As well as reducing plastic usage, the Lord Burghley is also recycles cordial bottles by giving them to allotment owners and collect empty crisp packets which are recycled to raise money for charity.

Aled, who spearheaded Stamford’s bid to become a plastic free community and works as a media sales consultant at the Mercury, said he was delighted to have his first champion on board.

He said: “It just goes to show that it is possible for businesses to make a positive change.”

Aled said Cafe Black in the High Street is also taking steps to become the next champion.

The Plastic Free Stamford campaign aims to make the town a plastic free community and is overseen by Surfers against Sewage.

About 12 businesses are needed to become plastic free champions as part of five objectives that must be met for Stamford to become a plastic free community.

Stamford Town Council would have to commit to removing single-use plastic items from their premises, promote the campaign, and a council representative must be on the campaign steering group. Half of the community spaces in Stamford would also have to become plastic free along with two more schools, after St George’s Primary School signed up to the campaign, and one community organisation.

There would also have to be two community clean ups a year, a ‘mass unwrap’ where volunteers help shoppers remove plastic and information events.

The final objective is for a strategic group to be set up to monitor the project’s progress.

For more e-mail plasticfree stamford@ gmail.com