THE ROCKPOOL BEACH CAFE IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE IT HAS BEEN SELECTED AS A SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE PLASTIC FREE CHAMPION

But what does it mean to be a Plastic Free Champion and why is this important?

A Plastic Free Champion takes action to avoid single use plastic where they can. This award is only open to small and local businesses, who are front runners in changing the way we use single use plastics and have made the necessary changes to their offering for the benefit of the environment.

In the UK, 38.5 million plastic bottles are bought every day. As a country, we also use 7 million disposable cups each day and plastic straws are one of the top 10 items polluting the ocean and harming marine life. The impact this has on the environment is huge, with single use plastic washing up on beaches across the country. 

As we are surrounded by three miles of beautiful coastline, wildlife and an area of outstanding natural beauty, we can see first hand the detrimental effect single use plastic can have on the environment and want to do everything we can to change it.

What action are we taking?

At The Rockpool, we only use compostable takeaway “Vegware” packaging, have left plastic straws in the past and hold regular beach cleans. Our fish is no longer kept in vacuum packed bags, it is now stored in reusable containers. 

Through donations to Surfers Against Sewage, we have become an SAS 250 member. This helps to fund their education programme, beach cleans and campaigns to protect the marine environment. 

In addition to SAS, we work with Cornwall Birds’ (CBWPS) who help to manage St. Gothian Sands Nature Reserve which you can find adjacent to us when looking out of the restaurant. Our “Wildlife Challenge” can be found on our website and is mentioned on our menus to help bring awareness to protecting the local area to help Cornish wildlife.

What’s next?

Over the next few years, we plan to continue to make positive environmentally friendly changes in the restaurant and behind the scenes to help eliminate plastics and save our beaches from pollution. We will be making positive choices with our suppliers by making sure we’re shopping local and only working with brands who hold the same values as us when it comes to sustainability.

We will be planting a wildflower garden to encourage more wildlife to the area. We think this will not only make a beautiful addition to The Rockpool, but will also encourage a more diverse wildlife population.

Please check our What’s On page for more info on our beach cleans.