Many of you are aware that we have decided to remove plastic from our cemeteries.
The Diocese of Truro have a regulation against plastic and many churchyards only have natural flowers and shrubs.
We have been publicising our decision to remove plastic since January and we have written to as many people as possible.
Our staff have been shouted at and encountered aggression over this decision but it is something that as a council we feel strongly about. Many members of the public have asked us to do something to help with environmental issues and plastic is of great concern to people both locally, nationally and globally. The plastic items break up and litter our cemeteries and surrounding area, which creates problems for wildlife and spoils our beautiful landscape.
We have the backing of many local people, our local vicar supports our initiative as does the AONB.
We will be removing items from Albaston on Thursday 26 August 2021 so please remove any items with plastic before then and enjoy them at home.
We look forward to seeing a cemetery full of fresh flowers and small plants and bulbs- all of which will be good for bees and other insects and look beautiful every season.
Thank you
Jim Wakem, Chairman.
It will look beautiful until the rabbits have their fill of the “fresh” flowers! Will the council reimburse families who have to keep replacing the flowers?
Bulbs could be planted along with geraniums which rabbits don’t like and flower for a long time. I am sure there are other plants that rabbits do not eat.
I purchased that piece of ground so therefore it belongs to me. I would be grateful if you would explain how you can legally remove and throw away something that is on my property.
Please contact the Clerk on 01822 748847 to discuss. This has been a decision made by the Council to support the Climate Emergency.
Well I’m sure this would be lovely to see the cemetery tidy grass cut with fresh flowers but then until the council do something about the over run rabbit population this isn’t very likely !
There are plants and bulbs that rabbits don’t eat such as geraniums. The cemetery does not look tidy with bits of artificial flowers, cellophane wrappers, liquid food sachets blowing around the sites littering it.
Doesn’t the cellophane wrappers and liquid food packets come from fresh bouquets??
Are cellophane wrappers and liquid food packets not from fresh bouquets??. At least with silk flowers the cemetery is full of colour. Some put fresh flowers on and don’t visit the cemetery again for months and they are left to die and rot and make it look untidy I know what I would prefer to see when I walk in the cemetery
Where do the cellophane and food sachets come from they don’t come the artificial flowers and all this is beside the point the headstone itself is nothing to do with the council this belongs to me who are these people think they are telling people what they can put in there own headstone . Would these councillors like for us all to rock up and start removing things from there garden No I think not so DO NOT Remove the Silk not plastic flowers from MY HEADSTONE ! THANK YOU
Removing plastic I agree with that but silk is silk its not plastic and the stems are metal they aren’t plastic either and I said before your argument about cellophane and packets of feed can’t be blamed on the artificial silk flowers either last time I looked you don’t have to feed silk ones .
I only heard about this on Monday when my mum and aunt let me know. My daughter has been there since 1997 and i have never seen any “litter”. Fresh flowers look good for a week if you are lucky, earthenware planters need watering every couple of days unless it rains, and are prone to cracking and breaking due to frost in winter. Bulbs camnnot be planted in the ground as they get strimmed off and silk flowers have metal stems.I can’t see what will be achieved , it will just cause upset to family members who were not aware of this visiting to find the graves have been stripped 😡
We have literally just bought silk flowers for my mums grave , absolutely gutted to be hearing about this !!
I`m sorry but I think the banning of all artificial flowers is wrong. Your own signs on the Cemetery gates suggest that natural fibre is acceptable, and Silk is a natural fibre. Your aim is to remove Plastic, which most people would agree with, but the removal of Silk Flowers is going over the top. Common sense is not being used here, but as usual comments that the Council don`t agree with will fall on deaf ears,
Silk flowers containing no plastic will be allowed. The majority of people are supportive of this initiative and it is unfair to say comments will fall on deaf ears. It is in direct response to people’s concerns over the environment and landscape that the council are doing this. We have lots of ideas for alternative solutions and will be publishing these.