A group of Ilford residents frustrated by the blight of non-recyclable waste have launched Plastic Free Ilford to tackle litter in the borough.

Anushka Tay, a designer, and Mythili Mahendran, a doctor, are organising community events around Redbridge as part of Plastic Free July, a global movement against plastic pollution.

Their initiative, which has been organised with the community group Transition Town Ilford, aims to transform Ilford into a Plastic-free community.

Mythili and Anushka released a statement: “Just a few companies are responsible for making plastic packaging with no care about where it goes after it’s used.

“If it’s not impacting us here in Redbridge, it’s sent off to pollute communities in the global south. It’s wrong, and we want to come together to make change.”

They noted single-use plastics cause damage to the community by polluting the local area while taking up to 500 years to break down.

Three Plastic Free Morning Tea Parties will be held in July, in which neighbours will meet in their front gardens at 10.30am to share refreshments - served without plastic - as well as brainstorm ideas about how to tackle the problem.

The first tea party is on Saturday, July 17 at 84 Brisbane Road, the second is on Friday, July 23 at the Forest Garden, and the last is on Saturday, July 24 at 49 Valentines Road.

The group is also inviting members of the community to volunteer their help for a plastics survey at Valentines Park between 10am and noon on July 31.

It will be used to audit which types of plastic are polluting the local area, how long they take to break down, and which companies are responsible for their manufacture.

The group said the plastics survey will also involve “fun activities” for children and adults, as well as plastic-free refreshments.

Transition Town Ilford, which organised the initiative, is a community group which aims to develop local solutions to make the town more sustainable.

Its projects include encouraging locals to grow food in their front gardens; a green energy working group for local businesses, schools, and faith buildings; and a forest garden in Valentines Park.