Taking place from March 11-17, The Big Plastic Count will bring together thousands of schools, businesses, and households across the country in an effort to reduce UK plastic waste.<\/p>\n
Building on the success of The Big Plastic Count in 2022, this year’s initiative arrives at a time when the plastic waste landscape is at its peak.<\/p>\n
With nations working to align global rules for plastic reduction and phasing out single-use plastics under The Global Plastics Treaty<\/a>, Greenpeace is aiming to drive government action to accelerate UK plastic waste reduction.<\/p>\n Plastic is everywhere \u2013 from packaging our groceries to making clothes we wear. But its convenience comes at a steep environmental cost.<\/p>\n 350 million tons\u00a0of plastic waste are generated globally each year, with only\u00a09%\u00a0recycled<\/a>.\u00a0That’s like dumping\u00a02,000 garbage trucks full of plastic\u00a0into our oceans, rivers, and landfills every single day!<\/p>\n 19-23 million tons\u00a0of plastic leak into aquatic ecosystems annually, harming marine life and impacting millions of livelihoods, with plastic waste expected to\u00a0double by 2050\u00a0if we don’t act now.<\/p>\n The impact is real. Plastic pollution threatens biodiversity, with countless animals ingesting or getting entangled in it.<\/p>\n Moreover, microplastics<\/a>, tiny fragments of plastic, are now found in everything from the deepest trenches to the Arctic ice.\u00a0Their long-term health effects on humans and ecosystems are unknown.<\/p>\n Plastic also breaks down into harmful chemicals<\/a> that can leach into soil and water, contaminating our food and water supply.<\/p>\n The Big Plastic Count 2022 uncovered concerning statistics about the UK plastic waste landscape, with a lot of plastic either being burned, dumped in other countries, or not recycled at all.<\/p>\n The initiative found that only 12% of UK plastic waste is recycled, with 46% of it being incinerated, releasing harmful emissions, pollutants, and toxins into the environment and exposing those who live nearby.<\/p>\n This year’s scheme aims to urge UK ministers, supermarkets, and big brands to take action in this global fight.<\/p>\n Schools and households can take part by visiting thebigplasticcount.com\/sign-up<\/a><\/p>\n Upon sign-up, you will receive a free counting pack containing all necessary materials, including a tally sheet for easy tracking, with participants counting the number of plastic items discarded each day.<\/p>\nPlastic waste: An urgent global threat<\/h3>\n
What we learned from 2022<\/h3>\n
Taking part in The Big Plastic Count 2024<\/h3>\n