Galashiels girl asks supermarket to stop using plastic straws

An environmentally-conscious schoolgirl from the Scottish Borders is doing her bit to save the planet.

The 9-year-old, from Galashiels, wrote to her local supermarket asking them to swap plastic straws for paper ones in their cafe.

In a letter to Asda, she wrote:

She was thrilled to receive a letter back within days thanking her and saying they're already planning to use paper straws.

She was inspired by the plastic promise she made at brownies - asking girls to make simple changes to reduce single use plastic.

• Asda customers encouraged to bring in refillable containers to cut plastic use

• NHS pledges to cut plastic in canteens and across catering

• McDonald's paper straws cannot be recycled like old plastic ones

After writing her letter she was awarded a badge for her forward thinking and putting what she'd learned into practice.

She said: "And it's a personal thanks and not a lot of people have them and my plastic badge is for standing up and using my voice."

But Lily's mission is not complete: there are more local businesses on her list.

• Six-year-old's mission to clean up his school playground

• Cumbrian Extinction Rebellion demonstrator climbs Big Ben

• World is approaching 'point of no return', UN chief warns