Its hard to be in a Wimbledon match without Pimm’s. Pimm’s is a brand of fruit cups, also considered as a liqueur. Whereas this year, the visitors will be served beverage without the customary plastic straw. The All England Lawn Tennis Club announced that it will ban the use of plastic straws in bars, cafes, and restaurants from this year onwards.
Thousands of cups of Pimm’s are sold in Wimbledon each year, these beverages are served in plastic containers with plastic straws. Moreover, last year around 400,000 plastic straws were used in the tournament. According to the marine conservation society, plastic straws are among the top 10 non-degradable items found on the beach. In addition, a single straw takes more than 500 years to decompose. These straws also create a threat to marine life.
The Sustainability Plan
As part of its sustainability plan, the Wimbledon committee decided to ban the use of plastic straws in the tournament. Instead of plastic recyclable paper straws will come into the picture from this year.
According to reports, UK uses 8.5 billion straws per year. These create a wide range of environmental issues. Taking this into consideration chains including JD Wetherspoon, Wagamama, Costa Coffee, Pizza Express, Waitrose and All Bar One have reduced the use of plastic straws. Furthermore, many have already substituted them with plastic straws.
Early in this year, the UK attempted to ban wet wipes due to fatberg on the sewage systems. The President pledged to make Britain plastic free by 2042. In April, more than 60 independent music festivals in the UK committed to the ban of plastic straws and other single-use plastics by 2021.
Apart from this, according to the Wimbledon conference, paper bags will be provided for the merchandise bought during the tournament. The chief executive of Wimbledon, Richard Lewis said there will be 87 water refill points for the visitors. The waste collection signage in the tournament has also improved over the years. In fact, in 2017 only 1.4% of waste generated went to the landfills.
These initiatives from the Wimbledon will help to bring about a huge change in the environment. Every year millions of fans around the globe gather in stadiums all over the world to watch thrilling matches. Sustainable plans like the ban on plastic should be taken into account by the authorities of all sports association.
The dependency on plastic is one of the biggest concerns in the present world. A takeoff from a developed country like England will have a positive impact on others as well. After all, a clean world can be built only from clean countries.