Bristol community leaders tackle plastic waste during Ramadan
Community leaders have taken steps to tackle single-use plastic during Ramadan following a conference held at the House of Lords.
The Plastic Free Ramadan initiative works with representatives from mosques across the country to find sustainable ways to serve food and drink while breaking fast – with the potential to save over 500 tonnes of waste each year.
It was launched by Projects Against Plastic (PAP) , a charity tackling single-use plastic in the hospitality sector, back in 2019.
Since then, the UK government has announced new far-reaching single-use plastic bans.
And PAP has worked in partnership with the House of Lords and Bristol Muslim Strategic Leadership Group (BMSLG), to raise awareness and offer practical solutions.
PAP charity founder Naseem Talukdar said: “This has been an opportunity to unite communities, promote sustainable practices and take action which will lead to positive change.”
House of Lords event
Plastic Free Ramadan started as a pilot scheme – with a water fountain and a dishwasher installed at a mosque in Naseem’s home community of Fishponds – reducing waste by 70 per cent.
Mosques in the South West, South East, North West and the Midlands have since responded to the campaign. Action includes installing water fountains and reusable items, along with educating the community to reinforce the importance of reducing plastic waste.
Lord Syed Kamall, a Member of the UK House of Lords and a professor of politics and international relations at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, said he was delighted to host the event.
500 tonnes of waste reduction
There are an estimated 500 mosques in the UK and each one can use up to 3,000 water bottles and 2,000 plastic plates and cutlery sets during Ramadan.
The scheme could lead to saving a tonne per mosque – the equivalent weight of nearly 70 elephants.
A ban on some single-use plastics came into force in October 2023 and was updated the following year – banning and restricting certain items in England.
Left to right: Professor Adeela Shafi of BMSLG, MP Carla Denyer, Naseem Talukdar of PAP and Lord Syed Kamall,
Sheila El Dieb, environmental task group chair of BMSLG, said: “By joining once again with this charity partnership, we believe that, not only are we giving the mosques their natural leadership roles at a critical period of the year, but giving them the format, with which to inform their communities regarding the recent legislation updated in October 2024.
“Ramadan is a time when Muslims are reconsidering their individual place in the world along with their responsibility to the planet, each other and our fellow global inhabitants.
“No step is too small to seek to find ecological ways of making our living sustainable; no person is unimportant in this journey.”
Naseem, who is also director for social responsibility and sustainability at UK Curry Connect (UKCC) campaign group, which works for betterment of the catering industry, believes reducing waste in mosques would significantly benefit the environment.
He said: “If everyone gets involved, we could save around a tonne of waste per mosque. This would benefit those communities directly and the country in general.”
The Plastic Free Ramadan event took place on Tuesday, February 11.
For more information about the scheme and to get involved, visit pap.org.uk
Read more of our news from Bristol and beyond at Bristol News https://directlocalbristol.co.uk/bristol-news/
