Urging families to participate in the number of plastic packaging for a week –

Families in the UK are being asked to count the number of plastic packages they throw away each week as part of a waste management campaign. Greenpeace and the non-profit organization Everyday Plastic run The Big Plastic Count to highlight the amount of plastic waste leaving UK homes and pressure the government and retailers to tackle the problem.

Individuals, families, schools, community groups and businesses are invited to take the survey from May 16-22, to register the different species they release, and to submit the information to the campaign website.

Data from each participant will contribute to the national picture of how much plastic is packaged and how much is recycled, and will also give them the opportunity to see what happens to their waste. The survey started because a YouGov survey of 1,780 people for Greenpeace UK showed that more than four out of five respondents (81%) wanted the government to provide targets to reduce plastic waste.

The survey also showed that more than three-quarters (77%) of people process plastic products to reduce waste, but 75% do not know what is happening to recycle them. Daniel Webb, founder and director of Everyday Plastic, has been collecting all plastic waste for a year and with the help of a researcher, he developed a methodology for calculating his personal plastic footprint.

Participation in the survey will provide families and other participants with information about what is being dumped and how much plastic waste is being recycled, accumulated, incinerated or exported.

Mr Webb said: “By counting my plastic waste over the course of the year, I know just how powerful this research is in understanding the true scale of the plastic problem.

“Large amounts of plastic are a simple but effective way to take plastic fingerprints into your home, while providing vital evidence to encourage the government to make long-term changes that are long overdue.”

According to Greenpeace, the UK generated 5.2 million tons of plastic waste in 2018, enough to fill Wembley Stadium six times. Both campaign groups aim to use the significant plastic counting results to push the UK government to introduce more stringent policies to reduce plastic waste, including a target to reduce single-use plastics by 50% in the UK by 2025.

They also want to see an export ban on plastic waste and the introduction of a deposit recovery system (DRS) to recycle and reuse all beverage containers.

“Most of us are trying to do our part in tackling the plastic waste epidemic, but without government policy that actually reduces packaging and improves recycling, rather than incinerating, burying or packaging others,” said Maga Darlington, a Greenpeace organization. UK plastic activist. Countries – we will continue the losing battle.

He urged people to hold the ballot to help the government take action. The Big Plastic Count has the backing of environmental expert and TV presenter Chris Packham, who said, “It’s ironic that we’re still drenched in plastic waste when it bothers so many of us. The natural world can’t do that.”

“We need to find out what is really going on with the plastic, which is potentially recycled. I will be joining the Big Plastic Count and encouraging you to do the same.”

– Registration for the survey is open and you can register here.

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