MORE than 20,000 plastic cups were bought by council bosses in the past two years as they try to cut down on waste.

The cups were just part of a massive number of single-use plastics identified in a report to councillors last week.

It included bags, portion sachets, containers such as yogurt pots, cutlery and drinking cartons with plastic straws.

But the council has 120,000 supply lines for their work and most of their suppliers didn't respond to a questionnaire.

A report to the full West Dunbartonshire Council said they could only analyse 25 per cent of what the council spends on supplies.

Councillors had agreed a motion in March in support of the "plastic free coastlines" campaign and pledged to ditch single-use plastic items across all departments.

Focus will start with cutting products that cause minimal impact on their services, such as water bottles, drinking cups, and straws in milk Tetra Pak cartons.

Muller Milk are committing to replace plastic straws with paper alternatives by the end of the year.

Plastic bottles from vending machines will be replaced by soda cans at council facilities, except at leisure centres where drinks containers have to be re-sealable.

Food nutritional standards mean Aqua Juice is the only fruit juice approved by the Scottish Government for schools, so those plastic bottles will continue for the moment.

As well as plastic cups, the council bought more than 500,000 paper cone cups.

Councillors at last week's meeting agreed youngsters were having a positive impact on pushing communities away from such plastics but legislation would also be needed to cut back on black plastic trays, which currently can't be recycled.

Councillor Iain McLaren said: "There is added recognition that the council should move away from other single use products."

The council agreed to audit single-use plastics, move to eliminate them and to approach Cosla to look at the issue.