GLASGOW is aiming to phase out single use plastics in just two years and become free of all “unnecessary” plastic in the next decade.

The council’s city administration committee approved plans to become free of unnecessary plastic by 2030 following concerns over the impact it is having on the natural environment.

A plastics reduction strategy has set out a 22-point action plan for reducing the amount of plastic used across the city.

This follows a public consultation on plastic reduction earlier this year that received over 1500 individual responses and provided overwhelming support to reduce single use plastic consumption.

The long term objective of the strategy is to end the use of plastic where that can be avoided or use an alternative reusable version of the item.

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Some of the key points of the initial action include a feasibility study on a city-wide ban of certain single use plastic items, developing Glasgow’s first plastic-free shopping zone, extending the number of free top-up taps for refilling reusable water bottles, supporting projects that remove plastics from the city’s water ways and exploring the possibility of Glasgow’s first plastic free school.

But the plan also includes a call to tighten up legislation on single-use plastics, such as plastic bags and plastic packaging, while looking at how the council can lead by example on reducing the use of unnecessary plastics.

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Anna Richardson, city convener for sustainability and carbon reduction, said: “Plastic has become ever present feature of modern life and it has any number of vital applications. It’s important we do not demonise plastic.

“Plastic clearly has its place, but aiming to end the unnecessary use of plastic will have a significant positive impact on the environment. There is already a huge amount of scope for our habits to change and technology is evolving so quickly that our norms will be transformed in the years ahead.