A campaigning councillor is binning the idea people cannot live without single-use plastics. The amount Paul Crossley is sending to landfill is shrinking week after week, and he keeps finding new ways to reduce it – his latest was digging out a yoghurt machine and putting it to use.

The Liberal Democrat Southdown representative wants to lead by example, and has been sharing his journey on Facebook. “I’ve been a passionate environmentalist for decades,” said Paul, who first became a councillor in 1998. “We all have to look at our own footprint.”

“We are all compromised – my son works in Australia, so the only way I can see him is to fly. We cut our car use down. It’s about everyone taking that first step and evaluating what they use. The first thing is to reduce the amount you consume, and if you do buy something, make sure it has a second life.

“When I was the Council Leader, I was always proud that we were among the best recyclers in the country. We went for source-separated collection, getting everyone to play their part. Some councils put it all in one wheelie bin. That co-mingling contaminates the product.

“By asking households to do a lot of the work, the collections are quicker and more effective. Our plastics are ground down and turned into other products – it could become ski gear, a new bench or a bollard.

“As a Council, we don’t accept incineration as recycling. It’s a scandalous misuse of resources. We were the first council in the country to pass ‘zero waste’ as our recycling policy, but there’s still a lot we don’t collect, like plastic bags, cling film and black plastic.

“People prefer to see a single problem they can solve. The plastic cup campaign was fantastic – everyone could see they didn’t need a single-use cup. I think taking on one product at a time is the way forward. Millions of toothbrushes go to landfill every year. My next one will be made of bamboo. I’m trying to reduce everything I throw away.”

Paul lives in Bathampton with his wife, Maggie. He joined Plastic Free July and kept on going. Zero Waste Week, an annual awareness campaign runs this week until Friday, 7th September. It also comes after a Lib-Dem motion last year calling for a five-pence charge on single-use coffee cups and a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles.

“We’re just a couple living together,” added Paul. “That’s different from a family of five with a baby in disposable nappies. Everyone needs to look at what they can do.

“Some people won’t go to supermarkets and only buy food without packaging, but it’s more expensive. A lot of people don’t have that economic option.”

One thing that is affordable for everyone is foraging, says Paul. He has an apple tree and always collects the fruit – he also has his sights set on the crab apples near his church.

“I still go to supermarkets sometimes – if you’re busy it’s easier to pick something up. I’m an encourager, not a preacher. What I think makes a difference is leading by example, like our MP, Wera Hobhouse, going round on her bike.

“If everyone took a step tomorrow, that would be a huge leap forward.”

Stephen Sumner