Bristol’s plastic-free Ramadan campaign goes national

With the holy month of Ramadan set to begin on Wednesday, Muslims all over the world are preparing to start a month-long observance. Days will be spent abstaining from food and drink and nights passed in prayer and contemplation, ending on April 21.

Over this time, an environmental campaigner from Fishponds hopes that Muslims across the country can use their Islamic beliefs to consider how to better care for the planet.

Bristol Muslim Strategic Leadership Group (BMSLM) and Naseem Talukdar, the founder of Projects Against Plastic (PAP), wants to reduce the use of single-use plastics used over Ramadan by finding sustainable ways to serve food and drink to worshippers.

After a successful pilot in Bristol, which saved around a tonne of waste per mosque, organisers are campaigning for Islamic prayer hubs in other cities to get on board with the ‘plastic-free Ramadan’ campaign.

Talukdar hopes the changes made will improve Ramadan for years to come – photo: Naseem Talukdar

“We’re working to get all mosques involved in the campaign and to say no to single-use plastic,” said Talukdar.

“If everyone gets involved, we could save around a tonne of waste per mosque. This would benefit those communities directly and the country in general.”

He added: “Protecting the environment is an important aspect of Islam and together we can tackle plastic pollution nationwide.”

There are around 500 mosques in the UK and each one can use up to 3,000 water bottles and 2,000 plastic plates and cutlery sets during Ramadan.

During the spiritual observance, Muslims fast from dawn till sunset until they are given the Iftar meal. For this, it is common practice to use plastic knives, forks, spoons, plates, cups and water bottles to feed congregants as they break their daily fast.

Seven Bristol mosques have joined the eco-friendly campaign to combat this wastage, which involved installing a water fountain and dishwasher. They are Jalabad Mosque in Eastville, Faizan-E-Madina in Fishponds, Easton Jamia Masjid, Greenbank Mosque in Easton, Hazrat Bilal Centre in St Paul’s, Jamia Mosque in Totterdown and Tawfiq Masjid & Centre in Barton Hill.

The plastic-free project is now going nationwide, with a launch event held in the House of Lords at the end of January to encourage as many of the UK’s mosques to get involved.

With PAP,  BMSLM, set up to develop and strengthen Muslim communities in Bristol, has been working to develop the voluntary scheme, holding events locally to raise awareness.

Sheila El Dieb, BMSLG environmental task group chair, said: “By joining with this ground-breaking charity partnership, we believe we are giving the mosques their natural leadership roles at a critical period of the year.

“Ramadan is a time when Muslims are reconsidering their individual place in the world along with their responsibility to the planet, each other and our fellow global inhabitants.

“No step is too small to seek to find ecological ways of making our living sustainable; no person is unimportant in this journey.”

For more information, visit: www.pap.org.uk

Main photo: Plastic-free Ramadan

Read next:

• ‘For me, Ramadan is a time to slow down and reconnect with my own humanity’
• ‘Special moment’ as Grand Iftar returns to St Mark’s Road 
• Meet the man urging mouses to go plastic-free over Ramadan

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