Guildford and the Surrey Hills host a wide variety of events, festivals, and street markets across the year in our bustling town centre and surrounding villages. But more bustle creates more waste! Around 500 billion plastic cups are now used across the globe annually! Not only is this single-use plastic contributing to global emissions, but at a local level it ends up in our ecosystems and waterways. 11% of native Surrey species are already extinct due to habitat loss, and plastic waste puts added pressure on threatened ecosystems. More waste bins are proven to cause more litter, so to tackle this issue we need to reduce the amount of plastic created. Our hire scheme will provide reusable glasses to businesses, events, and individuals at lower cost than the single use plastic alternative, providing financial as well as environmental benefits. A fully-refundable £2 deposit per glass will sustain this scheme which provides practical and educational benefits.

What we'll deliver:

• Reduce plastic pollution in the River Wey & Surrey countryside
• Reduce emissions from the plastic industry
• Drive education on 'throwaway culture'
• Build community cohesion and inspire community share schemes
• Reduce event-related litter
• Cut local authority refuse collection costs
• Provide responsible, cost effective solutions to climate change

Why it's a great idea:

Globally, half a million single use cups are thrown out every single day! The convenience of modern life makes us ignore the impact of the manufacture and disposal of single use items. Guildford Castle, our green spaces, and rivers all have significant litter problems. The Guildford Green Glasses scheme will help open discussions on throwaway culture, whilst providing both environmental and educational benefits to the community. It will help to promote the responsible local events-organisers and businesses who prioritise Guildford's community and environment. Not only will the glasses be more cost-effective for businesses than the single-use alternative, the scheme will significantly cut litter and keep our ecosystems and rivers free from plastic. The initiative will also help to build the profile of ZERO, a community-led climate hub which provides local solutions that can help tackle a global crisis, helping to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Steps to get it done:

• Purchase of glasses
• Launch Of Scheme
• First 10 events avoiding plastic glasses
• 50 users signed up to scheme
• 1000kg of single-use plastic avoided

We have conducted a small survey on the viability of this scheme and believe there will be significant support. We are currently looking to partner with key local stakeholders to launch a Sustainable Business Network, and this would be a popular scheme in the events side of strengthening a locally-focused economy which can build resilience and self-sufficiency. We hope to be able to expand this scheme to include take away containers should the initial glasses phase be successful.