A TOWN council in Flintshire has won a prestigious environmental award courtesy of a year-long pilot project.

The Naked Takeaway scheme has been offering takeaway food customers in Mold and Caerwys the choice of ditching single-use plastic and cardboard packaging, and gained international recognition at the weekend winning the prestigious Cittaslow Chiocciola Orange 2021 Award.

The innovative scheme, launched by Mold Town Council, sees reusable food containers offered to customers in Mold at Alexander’s Pizza, Asia Sensation, Spoons and Forks, and The Gathering – and in Caerwys at On the Corner Café.

Working alongside Mold, Caerwys and Llangollen town councils and Mold Plastic Reduction, the takeaway owners have introduced tiffin tins (a reusable, stainless steel set of stacking tins) or aluminium pizza cases, both of which can be used time and again for takeaway food containers.

Naked Takeaway was entered into the environmental category of the Cittaslow Chiocciola Orange 2021 Award. The reusable food containers scheme was voted overall winner of all seven categories at an online event held during the Cittaslow International Assembly on June 12.

In taking top spot, Mold made history by becoming the first UK town to win the Cittaslow accolade.

Sam Hubbard, from Mold Plastic Reduction, attended the virtual ceremony, accepting the Award on behalf of Mold, Llangollen and Caerwys.

Both Mold and Llangollen are members of the worldwide Cittaslow network of towns, which fosters economic, social and environmental sustainability in 30 countries.

Launched in January 2021, the Naked Takeaway pilot scheme is the brainchild of Mold, Caerwys and Llangollen Town Councils which, with support from community groups and interested businesses in the area, have been awarded a grant from the Welsh Government Circular Economy Fund.

The councils are working together to reduce their environmental impact and support a more circular economy – one in which items are reused, repaired, swapped and borrowed rather than thrown away and replaced with new products.

The Welsh Government Circular Economy Fund aims to drive forward its objective of taking action to phase out single-use plastic. Findings from the Naked Takeaway pilot project in Flintshire could pave the way for other towns to set up similar reusable food takeaway container schemes with their businesses.