Over a week in March, 224,381 people took part in The Big Plastic Count, carefully counting how much plastic they used and how it was disposed of…and the results are truly mind-blowing!

The Big Plastic Count is organised by Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic to investigate how much plastic is being used and disposed of in UK households, with the aim of gathering evidence that will push the government to take bold action on plastic.

In one week, 4,639,685 pieces of plastic were counted by the participants, and based on that figure, UK households are throwing away an estimated 1.7 Billion pieces of plastic A WEEK! That equates to 90 Billion pieces a year… This places us at the world’s top for plastic waste generated per person, second only to the USA!

How the UK is disposing of our plastic waste is also shocking. Only 17% is recycled,  11% ends up in landfills, and disappointingly, 14% of our plastic waste is being exported to countries with poorer recycling infrastructure than here in the UK. We are incinerating over half our waste, 58%, compared to the 46% we were burning in 2022. The gasses produced from burning plastic are incredibly toxic, releasing more carbon dioxide than burning coal, which is contributing to and worsening the impact of climate change. Additionally, the incinerators are three times more likely to be built in deprived areas of the UK.

Unfortunately, the UK is not effectively recycling plastic waste. Our recycling systems can’t cope with the sheer amount of waste we are producing, and frustratingly, a lot of the plastic we use can’t be recycled in the first place. Even when plastic is recycled, its quality quickly degrades, meaning it can only be recycled once or twice before it is incinerated, exported or placed in a landfill.

Ultimately, action needs to be taken at the governmental level, introducing legislation that will see a reduction in plastic production. The Big Plastic Count states that a strong Global Plastics Treaty is needed, resulting in a 75% cut in plastic production by 2040.

If you want to see the results in full, you can visit The Big Plastic Count website HERE to find out more and see what you can do to help.

Food packaging is a big contributor to plastic waste in family homes, especially when it comes to packed lunches. Pop over to our blog ‘Plastic Free Lunchbox Swaps’ to discover easy and sustainable ways to cut your plastic waste.