Isle Of Arran Becomes First ‘Plastic-Free Community’ In Scotland

Isle of Arran has become the first ‘plastic-free community’ in Scotland to receive accreditation from the organization Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) for beginning to reduce the impact of single-use plastic on the environment.

The Island’s plastic-free status was kickstarted by the group Think About Plastic – Arran (TAP-Arran) who formed last year to try and tackle the use of plastic in the area.

According to SAS, tourism-based businesses have ‘led the way in demonstrating what can be done to reduce plastic usage’. Accommodation providers on the island have made eco-friendly changes such as: replacing single-use mineral water with reusable water bottles, using soap and solid shampoo instead of mini-toiletry bottles, and have replaced pots of UHT milk with ‘fresh milk’.

‘Delighted by the support’

Chair of TAP-Arran, Helen How, said: “We are delighted by the support we have experienced from residents and businesses. Everybody can take simple and effective action to minimize usage of single-use plastic items.

“Having gained this accreditation from SAS, we will continue to expand the campaigning to include more businesses and get the message out to the many visitors Arran attracts. Arran’s residents are proud of their environment and we want everybody to know that we care and take positive action to protect where we live

“Using items made of plastic is something we all do every day. The aim of TAP is to get people thinking about what they can do to move away from the careless use of disposable plastic.”

Raising awareness

Rachel Yates, SAS Plastic Free Communities Project Officer, believes Arran’s plastic-free status will encourage more communities in Scotland to sign up.

“It’s great to see Arran leading the way in Scotland as the community works to reduce the availability of avoidable plastics, raise awareness and encourage people to refill and reuse,” Yates said.