Reducing the environmental impact of Moorlands markets

Published on 3 September 2020

Recent changes to how Moorlands markets are set up will see a reduction of thousands of HGV vehicle miles and carbon emissions and an end to the use of 3,000 single use plastic cable ties every year.

From this month, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has engaged its partners at Alliance Environmental Services (AES) to set up and dismantle market stalls. Operators will now travel less than 100 miles a year to provide this service - down 2,700 miles a year from the 2,800 miles travelled by the previous service provider - resulting in a reduction of approximately 4,000kg in carbon emissions per annum.

And the use of reusable Velcro straps to secure the gazebos together will mean thousands of single-use plastic ties will no longer be needed.

Councillor Edwin Wain, Cabinet Member for Planning, Development and Property at the Council, said: "Local people and visitors alike enjoy spending time shopping at our markets - they add to the vibrancy of our towns and the Council wants to see them continue to thrive.

"We're always looking for ways to improve the services we deliver so I'm pleased that we have been able to implement these changes to the set up of our markets. They may seem like simple measures but they will make a real difference to sustainability and the impact markets have on our local environment."

The Council declared a climate emergency in July last year and has been reviewing opportunities to embed its commitment to net zero CO2 emissions in its policies and strategies.

Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, Councillor Joe Porter, said: "The way we're now setting up our markets is a great example of the Council leading by example and I'm delighted that we will no longer be using plastic cable ties as reducing single use plastics is something we're focussing on at the moment.

"There are things we can all do as individuals to live with less plastic such as using reusable shopping bags, drinks bottles and cups. We, and our partners at AES, have recently published a handy toolkit with lots more ideas and I'd encourage everyone to take a look at it and see what they could easily start doing in their own daily lives to reduce their use of plastics."

Find out more and download the 'Life with Less Plastic' toolkit on our website www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/greybin