A SADDLEWORTH businesswoman is waging her own war on plastic after being inspired by television campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
And Rachel Wood, pictured left, hopes her stance at Diggle chip shop will inspire other businesses to do their own bit to tackle plastic waste.
From the start of July, chippy owner Rachel and husband Stephen have introduced biodegradable forks alongside wooden ones and binned plastic bags in favour of paper ones.
The couple already uses paper cups for carry out teas and coffees but are encouraging customers to bring their own refillable containers.
They will also refill water bottles free of charge.
Documentary maker Fearnley-Whittingstall and co-presenter Anita Rani have highlighted the problems generated by plastic waste dumping on their popular BBC programme.
“I was watching the programme and decided I wanted to do my bit,” said Rachel. “So we have decided to go as plastic free as we possibly can.
“We have got rid of our plastic bags and plastic forks. Instead we have sourced compostable and bio degradable forks.
“All our bags are paper instead of plastic.We are more than happy for customers to bring their own.
“Chip shops do generate quite a lot of waste and this is us trying to help the environment.
“Since I explained what we were going to do on social media there has been a brilliant reaction.
Hopefully, there will be a knock-on effect.
“Unfortunately, we still have some polystyrene trays alongside the cardboard ones which are okay if you are eating the food straightaway. Going forward we will try and source an alternative to polystyrene.”
Rachel has introduced a 10 pence charge for the new forks and bags. But she explained: “As a small business, we have to look at our costs.
“Any profit will go straight to charity as I am a big supporter of Oldham Mountain Rescue Team.”
