Wales is not only concerned about the safety of its holidaymakers and residents following the lifting of travel restrictions, it is also increasingly focusing on the implementation of sustainable projects. From the UK’s first plastic-free region to creative upcycling projects, Wales has a lot to offer.
Whatever plastic waste still accumulates despite general efforts, creative companies around the world are using it to create something new and thus ultimately to avoid waste. A prime example of an upcycling story from Wales is the outdoor furniture manufacturer mobek (www.mobek.co.uk), a small family business based in Colwyn Bay on the north coast of Wales. Here the current trend product is a comfortable beach chair made from recycled plastic, or more precisely, from 579 used plastic milk bottles.
Another environmental campaign began years ago on the island of Anglesey, off the north coast of Wales. In the spring of 2019, the island even received the environmental award as the first plastic-free region in Great Britain. The island’s sustainability campaign includes replacing environmentally harmful packaging with plastic-free alternatives, from coffee cups to shopping bags. This will prevent plastic waste from Anglesey from entering the sea and endangering the flora and fauna. Many other regions in Wales have now followed Anglesey’s example and are implementing more and more projects of this kind.
The “Refill Wales” programme (https://refill.org.uk), refill stations with free drinking water along the entire Welsh coast, is one of them. The Wales Coast Path (www.walescoastpath.gov.uk) – with 1,400 km the longest continuous coastal footpath in the world – is a hiker’s paradise, with spectacular panoramas. Since last year there are clearly visible water refill stations along the entire trail (over 1,000 in total) to avoid the purchase of disposable plastic bottles. The exact locations are available via the app “Refill”, for Android and iOS.
These are just a few of the projects in the Welsh Assembly Government’s long-term commitment “Beyond Recycling”, which aims to make Wales waste-free by 2050.