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As part of a national effort to capture the problem of plastic waste, thousands of people in the UK will be recording how much packaging they throw away.
Greenpeace announced that Chris Packham, an environmentalist, and Bonnie Wright, an actress, will be among the 140,000 participants in the Big Plastic Count.
According to the charity, the data will fill in a crucial evidence gap. It will also help show the Government that more must be done.
Everyday Plastic and Greenpeace UK have collaborated to bring you the count. Participants will be recording what types of plastic packaging they discard and then submit their results.
To create a national picture on plastic waste, and to inform people about the consequences of disposing of their waste, the goal is to make it visible.
Greenpeace stated that the UK produces more plastic waste per capita than any other country, and exports large amounts of plastic waste abroad.
TV presenter Mr Packham branded the UK “one of the worst plastic polluters in the world”.
Bonnie Wright, best-known for her role in Harry Potter’s film series Ginny, is participating in the project. (Picture: PA Wire).
He said: “Our broken recycling system doesn’t work, so instead of dealing with our plastic waste ourselves we send vast quantities of it overseas where it’s out of sight and out of mind for us, but destroying nature and harming people elsewhere.
“The Big Plastic Count is such an exciting project. It will, for the first time, tell ordinary people what happens to their plastic waste after we throw it away and we hope it will force the Government to take action and address the plastic waste crisis.”
According to Greenpeace research in 2019, approximately 40% of the UK’s plastic waste was exported into Turkey.
The Basel Action Network conducted a 2020 investigation and found that the UK was the worst European country for illegally exporting toxic electronics waste to developing nations.
Electronic waste – which can include computers, printers and screens – is considered toxic because items usually contain mercury, lead, flame retardants and/or other substances.
Researchers found that electronic garbage was shipped from the UK into countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania. This practice is technically against EU law.
Chris Thorne, plastics campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said the Big Plastic Count will be “the biggest-ever investigation into the UK’s plastic waste”.
He said: “We’re delighted that so many have signed up, making clear once again that the public is concerned about their plastic waste and want to see genuine action from the Government to turn the tide on our plastics crisis.
Plastic waste dumped at Adana Province in Turkey. (Picture: PA Wire).
“That means an immediate end to us dumping our waste on other countries like Turkey and legally-binding targets that actually tackle the plastic problem at source.”
Daniel Webb, of Everyday Plastic, said counting all of his plastic waste for a whole year had helped him to understand his “personal plastic footprint”, saying he was “completely shocked” by it.
He said: “The results from The Big Plastic Count will show us what’s really happening to our plastic waste, at a national scale, and inspire thousands of participants to demand real action to stem the tide of plastic packaging.”
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Greenpeace UK and Everyday Plastic stated that the survey results would be released as soon they are processed. Campaigners hope they can push the Government for a reduction in single-use plastics by 50% by 2025 and ban all plastic waste exports. They also want to implement a deposit returns scheme (DRS), for recycling and reuse.
Additional reporting: Rebecca Wilks
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