Reducing plastic

With up to 12m tonnes of plastic entering our oceans every year, the tide is turning against the use of disposable, single-use plastic.

Public awareness of the need to reduce plastic use has been growing since the plastic bag charge – which requires all retailers with 250 or more employees to sell single-use bags for 5p each – was introduced in 2015.

It was the final episode of David Attenborough’s landmark BBC television show Blue Planet II, however, that highlighted the shocking scale of sea pollution, and caused a palpable change in the public mood.

Reducing the use of plastic across museum shops and cafes is a long-term commitment and, regardless of ambition, no organisation can achieve it immediately. 

Items deemed as the worst offenders such as plastic straws, single-use water bottles, plastic food wrappers and carrier bags are used widely across all shops and cafes, not just in museums, and removing them requires time and thought about how to replace them.

While pressure is mounting to ban plastic straws altogether, it is important to remember that some people, such as those living with some disabilities, need straws.

Offering alternatives such as paper or metal straws is a great first step, but they cannot handle a large variety of temperatures, or bend, meaning it is still essential to have plastic straws available for people who need them.

The vast array of plastic pocket-money toys, many of which are shipped from China, also present museum shops with a significant challenge. 

"We wanted to move to more sustainable children's toys but were concerned they might have higher price points,” says Emma Matthews, the buyer and product developer at Manchester Museum. 

 “It is a balance because we have to maintain revenue, while operating alongside museum values. It is a journey, and we are not yet where we want to be,” she says. 

"We are a family museum, and we are trying to appeal to families from all backgrounds. We don't want to preach and we are not trying to tell people what they can and can't buy,” says Matthews. “Instead, we are trying to balance the offer and, where we can't find an ethical alternative, we are at least trying to source from the UK."

Matthews has bought in wooden toy brands, such as Plan Toys and Lanka Kade, to help reduce that reliance on plastic. Toys start at £2.50 each. Matthews says that she expected the switch to affect the volumes sold but Lanka Kade has become a core volume line.

Chiltern Open Air Museum in Buckinghamshire has also worked to reduce its plastic toy range. 

“We have reduced our range of plastic pocket-money toys drastically,” says Andrea Stroud, the retail supervisor at Chiltern Open Air Museum. “They do make us a fair bit of money, and I do try to source UK-made toys where possible,” she says. 

"The lovely thing is that as we develop we are relying less and less on the plastic products, because we are now able to offer something more carefully selected," she says.

Claire Buckley, the environmental sustainability director at charity Julie’s Bicycle, which supports low-carbon, sustainable projects in the creative sector, says that the first step to reducing plastic is to think where and how you use it, then how you might avoid using it in future.

“Look at where your options are to reduce or avoid waste in the first place,” says Buckley.

  

Wrap, a charity promoting recycling, reducing food waste and sustainable resource management, can offer advice and help to organisations look to rethink how it uses materials.

In November last year, the Natural History Museum, London, pledged to halve sales of single-use plastic bottles at its sites in South Kensington and Tring, Hertfordshire. 

The museum is exploring how to improve visitor access to water fountains, and it has become the first museum to stock canned spring water. It also sells reusable water bottles in its shops.

In April, the National Trust pledged to replace plastic plant pots in its nurseries by 2022. It is already using reusable pots and seed trays in its plant shops. The trust has stopped using plastic bags and has promised to halt sales of single-use plastic bottles at its cafes and shops. The heritage body is also piloting a scheme to make reusable and biodegradable cups available.

In Scotland, Glasgow City Council has announced it will no longer provide plastic straws to customers. This includes the cafes in its museums and galleries. 

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester is aiming to be become the first UK city region to stop using single-use plastics by 2020, a pledge that includes its cultural and heritage institutions. 

There is a vast amount of information online about how to begin reducing plastic use, as well as many campaigns seeking to support any organisation that is trying to do so.

Buckley advises tapping into one of these initiatives for information and guidance on how and where to begin. “It is difficult,” she admits. “But it is an issue of massive public importance.”

Some examples of campaigns are:

Whatever direction a museum or gallery decides to take, research is the key to success.

“It is important to understand the options available and look at the best options for alternatives,” Buckley says. “They are not always what you might think.”