THE owner of a Penarth creperie and coffee shop says she wants to “help the world a little” by cutting down on single-use plastics and backing plans to make Penarth a plastic free town.

Alison Speirs-Jones, of The Crepe Escape in Glebe Street Penarth has removed all single-use plastics from both her Penarth cafe and a second venue she runs in Cardiff.

The cafe owner says she spent several months looking into the use of alternatives instead of plastic.

Now she uses takeaway cups for hot drinks and cold drinks and straws which are biodegradable.

The forks, knives and spoons the cafe gives out with meals and takeaway ice cream are wooden.

“These items are all compostable which is fantastic,” said Mrs Speirs-Jones.

“We have changed all our drinks to glass bottles but we do have some plastic bottles still but they are all recyclable.

“We have also asked our suppliers not to bring things in plastic bags, so our fruit comes loose.

"With our Gelato that comes in tubs we give that tub back and they refill it for us each time.”

Mrs Speirs-Jones said the increasing concerns around the problems plastic is causing in our oceans inspired her to make the radical changes to the way her business works.

“It’s in the media, my husband is a fisherman, my son loves the beach and so do I and its just horrible seeing plastic everywhere,” she said.

“It made me want to try and do something so we’re doing our bit to help the world.

"It might not change the world but we want to try.”

One of the main things Mrs Speirs-Jones focused on was finding a suitable alternative for straws, as she wanted children and disabled customers to be safe and enjoy their drinks while remaining eco-friendly.

“We did have paper straws for a while but they were very soggy and our disabled customers couldn’t use them,” explained Mrs Speirs-Jones.

“The ones we found are biodegradable and they are just like plastic, you don’t know by looking at them.

“It’s just about trial and error really and doing our little bit for the environment.”

Staff at the cafe said the alternative items have been quite a hit so far with the customers, with many commenting their approval on social media.

“We have a few other traders asking for advice on where we get stuff,” said Mrs Speirs-Jones.

“It’s going really well.

“I do feel really chuffed about it all really.”