Hundreds of North Somerset residents have pledged to take action against waste.

During 2019's Recycle Week from September 23-29, the waste team at North Somerset Council ran a Pledge Against Waste initiative where anyone living or working in the area could pledge to reduce their waste or recycle more.

The team was pleased to receive 300 pledges to take action against waste from residents and workers.

Pledges included reducing single-use plastic, litter picking around the locality, recycling one more item than usual, repairing or reusing old furniture and home furnishing, learning more about the recycling service in North Somerset, educating friends or neighbours about the importance of recycling and campaigning to encourage local communities and shops to do the same.

Bridget Petty, the council's executive member whose portfolio includes climate emergency and waste, said: "The impacts of disposables and single use materials on the environment are big.

The throwaway lifestyle is a huge contributor to the growing problem of pollution in inland and ocean waters and the impact of growing levels of waste are evident."

The pledge initiative was supported by the zero-waste/plastic-free shops across North Somerset including Replenish in Meadow Street, Weston, Scoop and Spice in Yatton and Winscombe and the Zero Waste Pantry in Wrington.

Each shop kindly donated a prize to be won by anyone joining the Pledge Against Waste and five winners were selected at random.

Zero waste and plastic free shops are becoming increasingly popular as people search for a more environmental solution.

Cllr Petty said: "These shops are important in encouraging change within the local community.

"They offer a range of goods and services including a wide selection of organic, Fairtrade, vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan products with a focus on 'scoop and weigh' goods.

"Some shops stock a range of cleaning products for refill including shampoo, conditioner and hand soap, or even shampoo/conditioner bars.

"They also stock reusable items such as water bottles, metal straws, lunch boxes, beeswax wraps and much more.

"You can make a difference by changing your shopping habits to reduce the amount of waste produced in your household while also supporting local businesses."