City council provides plastic bottles despite climate emergency pledge

Hereford City Council provides its members with plastic water bottles at meetings despite backing calls to recognise its duty in tackling the climate emergency.

City councillors passed a motion on March 12 which says they share the duty with Herefordshire Council in tackling the climate crisis and will lead by example.

But several councillors pointed out that they were uneasy with being given bottles of water to drink at town hall meetings.

Councillor Chris Chappell said: “I don’t wish to have plastic water any more. I’m making a point to save the Earth.

“Can I have my water in a jug?”

Mayor Sue Boulter explained that the council recycled the bottles of water it provided.

“You can have your water in a jug, if you come and help fill the jugs up with me,” she said.

Coun Paul Rone told the meeting that it was better not to use plastic in the first place.

“With the energy that goes into making this bottle, recycling it and transporting it, it would be so much easier just to have jugs.”

He asked if members actually knew what would be required of them to take responsibility for to combat climate change.

“Whether it is walking to work, whether it is throwaway cups, the amount of red meat we eat, whether it means putting a jumper on instead of turning the heating up, if everybody did their bit an awful lot would get done.

“There is no substance behind this unless we all take an individual personal stand and think about what we do, otherwise it is just lip service.”

Coun Kath Hey, who proposed the motion, said members needed to be mindful of all the things they can do to make sure they are changing the ways of how residents are living.

“We have our young people protesting about climate change and most members will know that a resolution was passed at county council last week to support similar recommendations to those listed here,” she said.

“The world my son is going to inherit is very dependent on what we do now.”

Coun Jim Kenyon, who seconded the motion, said it was a great project for the city’s youth council to get involved with.

“We should ask them to come back with five bullet points that a person like me can do to make this world a little bit better,” he said.

The motion received unanimous support.