Many of the reasons we find plastic so incredibly useful – it’s extremely cheap, versatile, waterproof and durable – are what also make it such an environmental hazard. When we throw it away, it doesn’t go away. Instead, it becomes plastic pollution that can alter habitats and natural processes, directly affecting people’s livelihoods and food production. The latest Big Plastic Count survey by Greenpeace and fellow NGO, Everyday Plastic, in April 2024 revealed that UK households chuck out 1.7 billion pieces of plastic every week; 90 billion pieces per year. There is simply too much plastic being produced – and the answer is not recycling.
Read on to find out how communities are tackling plastic pollution in the UK, or go straight to our ideas on how you can do something bigger and break free from plastic.
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Tackling plastic pollution in the UK
Plastic Free Communities
Plastic Free Communities is a place-based initiative, originated by Surfers Against Sewage, that empowers and connects people to free where they live from avoidable, throwaway plastic; from beaches, rivers and green spaces, all the way back to the brands and businesses who create it. The campaign centres on five objectives to achieve the Plastic Free Communities award: (1) working with the local council; (2) encouraging local businesses to reduce single use plastic; (3) signing up community groups, schools and organisations; (4) holding events and actions; (5) setting up a steering group to drive the movement.
Turning the tide
As of July 2024, over 830 communities across the UK are signed up to Plastic Free Communities, with almost 30 million people living in a participating community. Over 4,500 businesses are enrolled and 230 councils have resolved to reduce plastic waste and support plastic free initiatives. In addition, almost 17,000 people are estimated to volunteer for the campaign in their local communities. Plastic Free Communities are eliminating over 43 million single use plastic items per year; 29 million of those items are directly attributable to this initiative, demonstrating how we can stop plastic pollution by working together.
Wider impact
The initiative can have a positive impact on community cohesion too. People involved have a greater sense of feeling like they belong in their neighbourhood; feel more connected to nature and their local environment; and make a greater effort to use local businesses, preferring to use businesses who have taken action on becoming plastic free. Find out more about Plastic Free Communities in our Carbon Copy Podcast episode, Bottle By Bottle.
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Do Something Bigger
In this, the first episode of the Carbon Copy Podcast series, Do Something Bigger, we introduce our year-long campaign: 25 Big Local Actions in 2025.
Do something bigger
Households, community groups, local councils and companies up and down the country can all help tackle the UK’s plastic waste problem, by eliminating all problematic and unnecessary plastic items. In addition to working together to make your own community plastic free, here are some other ways of doing something bigger to break free from plastic.
Stage a Mass Unwrap or beach clean
Highlight the scale of avoidable plastic and need for bigger action. For example, stage a Mass Unwrap that highlights the level of plastic packaging in your local supermarket and put people-pressure on them to change. Or if you live on the coast, organise your own beach clean to clear up the plastic waste that gets washed up on UK shores, or find out when you can join an existing event from The Marine Conservation Society’s constantly updated list of upcoming beach cleans. Ocean plastic is a well-documented, serious problem, and beach cleans are one way to raise awareness further in the community as well as do something about it. To hear more from people successfully taking action against plastic pollution where they live, listen to our Carbon Copy Podcast episode, Bottle by Bottle.
Set up a local Zero Waste Shop
There are over 200 Zero Waste Shops, with this zero waste directory doing its best to keep up! Many of these have popped up over the last two years and have become popular, successful and inspirational to others. Research suggests just over two-thirds of consumers claim to be zero waste advocates, so now could be the time to fill a gap in the market. See this Zero Waste Club blog post to guide you or your team on what to consider in setting one up. The presence of a Zero Waste Shop on the high street also sends a powerful signal to other retailers about how much people care locally and are changing their shopping habits.
Designing out plastic pollution
We know we can’t recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis; instead, a big opportunity for companies is to switch to alternative materials in their product design or eliminate plastic packaging entirely. Compostable plastics are one solution that can be used for specific applications, coupled with collection and composting infrastructure. Moving from a liquid to a solid product can have more benefits for consumers as well as allow companies to use less, alternative packaging material. And products for which plastic remains the best material should be designed for reuse or use polymers that are easy to reprocess. See the Ellen MacArthur Foundation for exciting ideas and research on designing out plastic pollution.
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Borrow don’t buy
Repair and reuse
Circular Economy
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