In Letters to the Press, we highlight the work done by local activists who contact the local media and help to shape discussion in our city.
It was with great concern that I read in the Mercury about the amounts of rubbish found in a river in Leicester recently and noted that a 25-year-old crisp packet was found.
Leicester Green party were on a litter pick in Saffron this Saturday, and we found at least six bags of rubbish within an hour. This rubbish included a 14-year-old Walkers Steak and Onion packet, which I found embedded in the mud in the meadow of Neston nature garden. This rubbish seeps into the ground, poisoning our soil and wildlife, and even ends up in our drinking water.
Has the Walkers recycling scheme all but collapsed during Covid, with only two places being listed as offering recycling in the whole of Leicester at this time? Or is the real problem the rubbish itself? Walkers are still producing millions of single use packets every day and are not changing from single use packaging until 2025. Other manufacturers have committed to changing by 2023. Leicester Green party think no action until 2025 is a huge error and that Walkers should move much faster to help save our environment. Why companies can continue to produce waste which is single use, poisons our environment and does not biodegrade is surely a scandal that future generations will look at with disbelief. If the price of disposal was paid by producers rather than the taxpayer, would things move quicker?
In the meantime, we’ve contacted Walkers, who have given us a freepost address where customers can send any crisp packets back to them for recycling. The address is:
Customer Services Department
FREEPOST LE4 918
Leicester
LE4 5ZY
We encourage everyone to use this service, and hope that Walkers change their packaging , sooner rather than later.
Have you sent any letters to the press on Green issues, or do you have an issue you’d like the Leicester Green Party to know about? If so, please get in contact.