Leeds MP's praise for kebab shop's plastic-free ethos
A Headingley kebab shop has been singled out for praise in the House of Commons for its environmentally-friendly plastic-free policy.
Leeds North West MP Alex Sobel (Lab) used the chamber to herald the I Am Döner takeaway, on Otley Road, as an “exemplar to us all” for serving food without traditional plastic containers.
He said the House of Commons - which gets through 334,800 sachets of sauce a year, he said - could “learn a lot” from I Am Döner’s example.
Mr Sobel said: “I feel a lot of personal responsibility in this area. I recently visited I Am Döner, my local kebab shop in Headingley, where I ordered my normal falafel wrap. Its staff told me that they have gone completely plastic-free. They provide water in cans and all their packaging is non-plastic. That shop is an exemplar to us all. I thank Paul at I Am Döner for introducing those measures. He has inspired me to have a week in which I do not buy any single-use plastic.”
He added: “I hope that the Administration Committee can hurry up with implementing its proposals so I can eat here without having to use any single-use plastic.
“We all need to make a personal commitment, as well as pressing for change from the Government.”
Paul Baron, of I Am Döner, said: “We were thrilled to be mentioned in the House of Commons and recognised for the hard work we are doing on plastic free- we can definitely teach Parliament a thing or two.”
Headingley Labour councillor Neil Walshaw added: “It was great to see [our MP] mention in Parliament one of Headingley’s best eateries and draw attention to the fantastic work that they are doing to reduce single use plastic.”