A SCHEME to encourage takeaways to move away from single-use plastic has launched in Dalgety Bay.

Members of Plastic-Free Dalgety Bay (PFDB) are hoping to encourage the use of re-usable stainless steel tiffin tins to bring home their hot food.

A tiffin night to promote the scheme was held last Sunday when members of the group, along with local councillor David Barratt, visited some of the participating restaurants.

PFDB community lead Kim Blasco explained: "No-one who eats takeaways can be unaware of the huge quantities of plastic and other waste generated by the single-use items they come in. At Plastic-Free Dalgety Bay, we think these reusable tiffins can be part of the solution.”

The four-tier tiffins, which can be bought online, have been tried and tested by the PFDB team and found to be big enough for a normal Indian or Chinese takeaway. They can also be used for loose deli items.

Cllr Barratt welcomed the scheme. “This is a great initiative from Plastic-Free Dalgety Bay," he said. "I think when other takeaways see the success of this, they’ll be happy to accept tiffin tins as well. My curry from Bay of Bengal was delicious and all served without a side of plastic.”

Currently, the participating restaurants are Bay of Bengal Tandoori Restaurant, Spice Of India Dalgety Bay, Asian Express Dalgety and the Kinghorn Fortune House Chinese takeaway, while more local premises are expected to get involved too.

Once customers have bought their tiffins, they have to inform the takeaway that they will be bringing it along and their food will be served in the containers when they arrive.

Owner of Bay of Bengal tandoori restaurant, Mohseul Adnan, said they had championed the scheme as they wanted to be eco-friendly.

He added: "It is also cost-effective for us in the long run, as it means we don’t have to keep buying single-use plastic containers. The scheme is running very smoothly and we’re enjoying seeing how when someone brings in a tiffin for their takeaway, other customers in the restaurant are interested and want to know more about them. Everyone thinks it’s a great idea.”