The virus has forced campaign group Plastic Free Hackney to take to Instagram to host live panel discussions about single-use plastic and finding sustainable alternatives.

Their mission has been to create a cleaner and greener community for everyone by organising litter picks and community events to remove plastic pollution from our environment.

The panel discussion follows the cancellation of their weekly group litter picks – which work in collaboration with Hackney Council – due to the pandemic. 

Bettina Maidment, one of the two founders of Plastic Free Hackney said, “With change in legislation and guidance… we need to look into what we can do again”. 

The panellists are made up of; Ander Zabala, the Recycling Manager at Hackney Council, Ella Daish, a campaigner looking to end period plastic with her hashtag #endperiodplastic and Daniel Webb founder of Everyday Plastic, a workshop to highlight the ‘plastic problem’. 

Last week on Instagram Live, they discussed about what the people of Hackney can do to stand up to businesses making profits from the destruction of single-use plastic and its pollution. 

On Thursday this week, the panellists will be helping the residents of Hackney how to go plastic free without spending money which will be followed by a Q&A from Maidment. 

Maidment spoke about the reasons for temporarily switching from litter picking to online discussions and the limitations the pandemic has put on Plastic Free Hackney for her and fellow founder Daisy Hutchison. “Both myself & Daisy are both having to home-school so we just haven’t had the time to really push it”. 

This follows Plastic Free Hackneys solo pick-ups which was aimed for residents to pick litter on their personal walks with picking equipment delivered and provided. She described how they “never really got off the ground”. 

 With people stuck at home, Plastic Free Hackney have found alternative ways to push the agenda of single use plastic and their supporters are still enthusiastic to further their causes during lockdown.