TWO environmentally aware businesses in Ilkley have made the switch from single use plastic products to eco-friendly alternatives.

Both Moin Moin Backerei and The Commute Café in Ilkley are opting for eco-friendly alternatives supplied by Yorkshire based firm Single Use Alternatives.

Their decision comes on the back of major publicity concerning plastic waste in the environment, combined with increased concern from their customers on the issue of plastic packaging.

Liam Wilton, owner of Moin Moin Backerei, in Brook Street, said: “We’ve all seen images of mountains of plastic waste and how damaging it is to wildlife and oceans.

“It’s also something which our customers have been raising with us and there’s definitely been an increase in awareness and public demand.”

Gavin Smith, owner of The Commute Cafe, on Leeds Road, said: “The Commute Café have been keen on the alternatives to food packaging containing plastics for some time but sometimes the cost puts these products out of reach.

“A Yorkshire company, Single Use Alternatives approached us and because their soup containers and food boxes are similar in price to the ones we used before, we decided it was time to use them.

“We believe that every little thing helps when it comes to the environment.”

Gavin has also been awarded a prestigious Wharfedale Tackles Plastic certificate in recognition of his efforts to help reduce single use plastics in the Wharfedale area.

Thanks to programmes like the BBC’s Blue Planet, the problem of single use plastics has become a concern for many people.

Plastic can take up to 1000 years to fully degrade and because the majority ends up in landfill or as pollution in the environment, increasing numbers of people are looking for sustainable alternatives.

“We believe in making it easier than ever for Yorkshire businesses to make an environmentally friendly food and drink container choice, and we’ve started to make a difference,” said Adrian Balcombe from Single Use Alternatives, who are based in Boston Spa.

“Our ethos is to encourage the ‘Five R’s’: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle, and we firmly believe that compostable products are far better than single use plastics.

“We’ve approached multiple brands to understand their products and get them on board and are now building an informed community about them.

“With a group of individuals and businesses we are forming a buying consortium. We can then get access to these products with a buying power that makes them an affordable and viable alternative to single use plastics.”

Available to order online, Single Use Alternatives’ product range includes disposable coffee cups, food containers, food wrap and packaging.