Councillor calls for sign to be removed from battlements saying it is ‘beyond irony’

A historic town in south Wales has been criticised for celebrating becoming a plastic-free community by hanging a banner made of plastic from a 13th-century gateway.

Chepstow fixed the large banner to the battlements of its town gate after being granted plastic-free status by the green charity Surfers Against Sewage.

Armand Watts, a councillor and former mayor, described the move as “beyond irony” and called for the banner to be taken down. “If this is non-biodegradable, then it clearly should be removed and replaced,” he said.

Members of Plastic-Free Chepstow have worked hard to achieve the status, encouraging businesses, local authorities, schools and community groups to divest themselves of single-use plastics. They were particularly proud of a campaign to make their street market plastic-free.

The group took to Facebook to explain its rationale for opting for a plastic rather than cloth banner.

Quick guide Plastics and our throwaway society Show Hide Why is plastic being demonised? Since the 1950s, 8.3bn tonnes of plastic has been produced. Plastic is seen as a versatile, indispensable product, but the environmental impact is becoming more stark. Plastic is now so pervasive that recycling systems cannot keep up and the leakage into the environment is such that by 2050 plastic in the ocean will outweigh fish. In 2017 scientists found plastic fibres in tap water, and plastic has been found in the stomachs of sea creatures in the deepest part of the ocean. Most plastic waste ends up in landfill sites or leaks into the natural environment, where it is causing huge damage to eco-systems on land and sea, creating near permanent contamination. According to academics in the United States, by 2015, of all the plastic waste generated since the 1950s, only 9% has been recycled, with 12% incinerated and 79% accumulated in landfill sites or the environment. Why are the supermarkets under fire? Producers of plastic include retailers, drinks companies and supermarkets. Supermarkets create more than half of the plastic waste in the household stream in the UK. But they refuse to reveal how much they put on to the streets and how much they pay towards recycling it. Supermarkets are under pressure to reduce their plastic packaging and campaigners argue they have the power to turn off the tap. Much of the packaging they sell to consumers is not recyclable: plastic film, black plastic trays, sleeves on drinks bottles and some coloured plastic. The Recycling Association and other experts believe supermarkets could do much more to make packaging 100% recyclable and reduce the use of plastic. Who pays to clean up the waste? The taxpayer, overwhelmingly. UK producers and retailers pay among the lowest towards recycling and dealing with their waste in Europe. In other countries, the “polluter” is forced to pay much more. In France, a sliding system of charges means those who put more non- recyclable material on the market pay more. What can shoppers do to help? Supermarkets are under pressure, not least from the prime minister, to create plastic-free aisles. A growing number of zero-waste shops are springing up and consumers are being encouraged to ask for products to be sold without plastic. Sandra Laville Photograph: ermingut/E+

“Yes, it is a plastic banner,” the group said. “We are not against all plastics as many are obviously very useful when they are designed to last for a long time and be reused over and over. Our group focuses on reducing single-use plastic consumption.

“These are the main items that are found in the sea, in beach cleanups and litter picks and include products like takeaway food containers, plastic cutlery, drinking straws, [plastic] wrap, takeaway coffee-cup lids and crisp wrappers.

“This large plastic banner product is build to last, to withstand the weather and be used for years to come at our events.”

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The group said it did look for alternatives. “But, sadly, they would neither stand up to the weather nor be cost-effective. We also created a much smaller natural banner out of a secondhand piece of canvas which can be used on our stall when it’s dry.”

Surfers Against Sewage said Chepstow should be praised and claimed the criticisms of the banner missed the point.

“We think it’s a nonsense to focus on the banner,” a spokesperson said. “Our focus is on single-use plastic items that end up in rivers, waterways and the sea.

“The community in Chepstow has done amazing work reaching out to businesses, councils, community groups. They should be applauded. Plastic Free Communities is not about removing all plastics. Plastic is a very useful material. It’s a distraction to focus on the banner.”