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Each year, Condor passengers use 152,000 forks, 158,000 knives, 93,000 spoons and 42,000 straws along with 557,000 cups and 158,000 lids - but now the ferry firm says it plans to turn the tide of plastic waste.
It says one million single use items will be replaced by compostable and re-usable products. The company has already introduced a number of 'vegetable-based' cutlery and coffee cups made from ‘Vegware’ on the Liberation, Rapide and Clipper. Vegware uses renewable, lower carbon or recycled materials and can be composted along with food waste.
Paul Luxon, Condor’s CEO, said the company was looking at a number of eco-friendly alternatives so it can reduce the use of plastics by three quarters over the next three years.
"We fully recognise we have a role to play so our aim is to lessen plastic in circulation by 75% by 2021. Like most other businesses, we accept there is a way to go to achieve this, but we are making progress in evaluating and testing new items for introduction such as biodegrable water bottles and seaweed packaging, all of which are zero-waste," he said.
"Our passengers too are very aware of environmental issues and I am sure they will welcome the changes we have already made and those in the pipeline."
The removal of plastic items and plastic-lined soft drinks cups will see a reduction of 1.2 million products in circulation by the end of 2019.
The company is to install recycling points on board its ships and five ports and is to sign up to two Channel Islands’ initiatives – Plastic Free Jersey and the Keep Guernsey Green Award.
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