SINGLE-USE plastics will be banned at Trafford Council after a campaign led by a Green Party and Lib Dems alliance received council backing.

The motion was put forward by the Green Party, with support from Cllr Jane Brophy of the Liberal Democrats. The proposal received unanimous support from all parties.

A Council spokesperson said: “The Council is keen to lead by example, so a motion to reduce single use plastic in Trafford was approved by all parties at the Council meeting on Wednesday, July 25.

"A robust action plan will now be developed aimed at phasing out single-use plastics in all Council activities within the next two years, and will form part of the Council’s Sustainability Strategy to benefit health and reduce waste in the borough.

"We will work with partners, other large institutions and the public to encourage them to switch to alternatives and where relevant develop similar strategies."

Cllr Dan Jerrome, Green Party said residents have been contacting him about the borough's poor plastic recycling facilities, as well as the related issues of litter and fly-tipping on a regular basis.

He said: “We know that abandoning single-use-plastics is something that the vast majority of people want to do. Trafford Council needs to play its part to support residents with this.”

The decision means the Council will phase out its use of single-use water bottles, straws and other similar plastics over the next two years.

It follows similar pledges by other councils across the country, and companies including Starbucks and IKEA.

Cllr Geraldine Coggins, Leader of the Green Party Group on Trafford Council said: “We were delighted that all parties on the Council supported our motion. Other councils across the country are already making this change and now Trafford will do so too.

“With large organisations like this all singing from the same hymn sheet, producers and distributors will have to listen. These polluting companies will need to re-evaluate their methods and their materials and come up with workable, economically viable solutions.”

Cllr Jane Brophy, Liberal Democrat said: “ I am very proud to have provided Lib Dem support to ensure this important motion to phase out Single Use Plastics got on the agenda.

“Together, we enabled multi-party support in Trafford for a motion that protects marine life, human health and reduces pollution.

“We will work in partnership towards sustainability for all our Trafford residents.”

One million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute, while across the country only 40 per cent of plastic waste is recycled domestically meaning eight million tons of plastic waste ends up in the world’s oceans each year, endangering marine life and ultimately posing a risk to human health.