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02
Mar
College and swim school criticised for 'unrecyclable' plastic shoe covers
A Harrogate swim school and Harrogate Ladies’ College have come under fire for their policy towards the use of plastic overshoes at the poolside.
The overshoes are like small, blue elasticated bags, and are worn over outdoor shoes to prevent the wet floor tiles around the pool from getting dirty when spectators make their way to the poolside seating area.
But the father of a child learning to swim with Brightwater Swim School, which hires the college’s facilities for its lessons, has complained that the overshoes are environmentally unfriendly.
Dad Julian Bailey told the Stray Ferret:
It should be the aim of every business and individual to reduce the amount of difficult-to-recycle plastic that we use.
Plastic such as that used in drinks bottles or yoghurt pots is relatively simple to recycle. The sort of plastic film used in overshoes is very difficult to recycle, but most of the parents in the club seem clueless about where it ends up.
These overshoes are pretty much unrecyclable, and I have had it confirmed by one of the swimming instructors that they are binned, not recycled.
We asked Brightwater about its policy regarding the disposable footwear. A spokesperson said:
Plastic overshoes at Harrogate Ladies’ College are provided by the venue rather than by Brightwater Swim School.
As a hirer of the facility, we follow the arrangements in place at the college for all pool users. The pool is used by a number of different schools and organisations each week, all of whom operate within the same setup.
Decisions regarding overshoes, signage or alternative arrangements sit with the venue rather than with Brightwater.
But Mr Bailey said the onus fell on both the swim school and the facility to give parents more information. He said:
Harrogate Ladies’ College should be considering whether to use plastic overshoes at all, and Brightwater should be telling parents that they are unrecyclable and suggesting that maybe they should go barefoot.
It feels convenient and hygienic to put on plastic overshoes, but there really should be a big sign there saying: ‘These plastic overshoes are thrown away. Please think carefully before using them and consider an alternative.’
Many councils no longer use them
Plastic overshoes have fallen out of favour with many swimming facilities on environmental grounds, and many councils around the country have discontinued their use.
We asked North Yorkshire Council, which runs municipal swimming facilities in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and Starbeck, about its policy.
A spokesperson said:
We believe that the former Harrogate Borough Council introduced a plastic overshoe policy about eight years ago, but this was changed to a ‘no outdoor shoes’ rule at some time prior to moving into Active North Yorkshire.
Most of our sites with swimming pools operate a ‘no outdoor shoes’ rule, with overshoes only issued to contractors and customers who cannot remove their footwear.
Work is still ongoing to standardise all processes and systems at each of our sites across North Yorkshire, after which there will be a consistent application of this rule.
The Stray Ferret contacted Harrogate Ladies’ College several times to ask about its plastic overshoe policy, but has still not received any response.
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