Alex Sobel MP used the House of Commons chamber to herald a Headingley takeaway and announce his plan to embark on a plastic free week.
The MP for Leeds North West will aim to not use any single use plastic for a whole week—a challenge
The environment has been a key priority since Alex Sobel entered Parliament last year that will see him mark his first anniversary as a parliamentarian where protection of the environment has been a major priority.
British Kebab Awards 'best takeaway', I am Döner was singled out by Mr Sobel as ‘an exemplar to us all’ for its plastic free ethos and creative solutions on serving take away food without using traditional plastic material. He said that the House of Commons, who use 334,800 sachets of sauce a year, could learn a lot from I am Döner’s example.
‘I feel a lot of personal responsibility in this area. I recently visited I Am Döner, my local kebab shop in Headingley, where I ordered my normal falafel wrap. Its staff told me that they have gone completely plastic-free. They provide water in cans and all their packaging is non-plastic. That shop is an exemplar to us all. I thank Paul at I Am Döner for introducing those measures. He has inspired me to have a week in which I do not buy any single-use plastic, so I will be bombarding hon. Members from my social media accounts regarding my difficulties in avoiding any single-use plastics. I hope that the Administration Committee can hurry up with implementing its proposals so that I can eat here without having to use any single-use plastic. We all need to make a personal commitment, as well as pressing for change from the Government.'
Headingley councillor Neil Walshaw welcomed Mr Sobel’s comments. He said:
“I am delighted that our MP is consistently displaying his passion for the environment and particular the reduction of plastic waste. It was great to see him mention in Parliament one of Headingley’s best eateries and draw attention to the fantastic work that they are doing to reduce single use plastic.”
Paul Baron from I Am Döner said: ‘We were thrilled to be mentioned in the House of Commons and recognised for the hard work we are doing on plastic free- we can definitely teach Parliament a thing or two!’
Mr Sobel’s speech was also noted for causing ‘great anxiety’ after the use of the word ‘shiploads’ when describing boats full of plastic waste going abroad. He did have to clarify that the word was ‘ship.’