PHOTO TITLE: Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay meeting children in The House of Commons. Big Plastic Count Youth Empowerment Day, London, 2022, Credit: Greenpeace UK.

Thousands Across The South West Taking Part in UK’s Largest Plastic Waste Survey

Thousands of households and hundreds of teachers from across the South West have committed to counting a week’s worth of their plastic waste as part of the UK’s largest waste survey starting next week.

The Big Plastic Count, organised by Greenpeace UK and Everyday Plastic, is a crucial national survey taking place on 11-17 March 2024 that presents a unique opportunity for residents across the region to gather vital evidence about the extent of the UK’s plastic problem. Participants are encouraged to sign up by 11 March to receive all the materials needed.

"The natural world can't cope with all our plastic rubbish. We've been calling for action on plastic for years, but the government hasn't listened. That's why this year, The Big Plastic Count is gathering even more evidence to push for plastic action in the UK and also globally, in a new UN Global Plastics Treaty focused on reducing plastic production. I've signed up for The Big Plastic Count. Will you sign up, too?" Chris Packham, Wildlife TV Presenter & Conservationist

Nationwide, across all 650 parliamentary constituencies, nearly 80,000 participants have already signed up for The Big Plastic Count 2024, including over 10,000 school classes.

The national plastic-counting campaign is open to individuals, households, schools, community groups and businesses. Local partner Surfers Against Sewage is among the organisations supporting the campaign.

"I live on the Helford River in Cornwall, an SSSI and marine protected area. I am really concerned about the amount of plastic still entering our oceans every year and the damage it is causing to our marine environment. I buy as little plastic as possible and encourage others to do the same but it’s hard sometimes! I can see changes being made, there are more large companies now making plastic free packaging for example but I feel the government is not doing enough." Carol Hurst, Mawnan Smith, Helford River, The Big Plastic Count Participant

"Living in Dorset, I've seen the impacts of plastic pollution on our beaches and areas of outstanding natural beauty. The Big Plastic Count shows how much plastic packaging we use and explains the impact on our national and global plastic problem. Our school has been inspired to take part and use our fantastic resources to teach the children all about global plastic pollution and consumer choices. We're learning that no matter how big or small we are, we can all make choices to reduce the plastic we use ourselves and we can also add our voices to calls for the government and companies to cut plastic packaging." Edd Moore, teacher, Damers First School, Dorset

"I am keen for my class to take part in The Big Plastic Count because, by teaching children about plastic pollution and recycling, I am sharing knowledge that could end up making a difference. I hope that by learning about the impacts of plastic pollution, the children will understand why it is important to reduce the amount of plastic we use in our everyday lives and will be encouraged to take further action to care for our world." Miss Parry, primary school teacher from Nailsea in North Somerset

"I resist buying plastic on every occasion I can. Before it was possible to take crisps packets to the supermarket, or return my soft plastics in my fruit and veg box, I started to keep the plastic in my shed! I ended up with four huge bags of the stuff. It made me feel sick. I also had separate bags for toothpaste tubes, old pens, pill containers, razors and make up containers. During the lockdown that came with Covid, I decided I needed to look again at my own consumption. I had already started to use refill shampoo and conditioner, opt for shampoo bars, and buy local from my health food shop to reduce the extra plastic bags. I began to receive a fruit and veg box and this stopped me purchasing more unnecessary plastic packaging. I swapped my deodorant to a refill option, whose packaging is minimal and biodegradable. And I signed up for a metal handled razor with blades that can be returned and recycled. Last year I took part in The Big Plastic Count, and I felt spurred on to continue to do what I could, but also shocked by the feedback I had received. I want to be part of a real solution because although I believe we should all feel a sense of responsibility for our planet and its future, I’d like the government to make bigger changes and act more quickly, for the future generations like my son, and the wildlife, as there’s so much plastic everywhere and it’s so harmful." Chloë Scrivener, Wimborne, Dorset, The Big Plastic Count participant

"We’re stoked to be taking part in The Big Plastic Count. The government continues to drag its heels on plastic pollution, and we’re not going to sit back and let it happen. Continuing to build on our citizen science programmes, we’re supporting our Ocean Activists to get involved in The Big Plastic Count and show decision-makers just how much plastic we’re dealing with." James Luxton, Head of Communities, Surfers Against Sewage based in Cornwall

"My boys and I took part in The Big Plastic Count in 2022. I thought our plastic consumption was quite modest, but seeing it all laid out was really shocking. The thought of it all ending up in landfill, or being shipped to other countries to become their problem, made me feel ashamed. Since then, as a family we've become a lot more conscious about what we buy and how it is packaged. We use our local refill shops more often. We have found alternatives for plastic-wrapped snacks. We get our milk delivered in glass bottles. And we take our remaining soft plastic back to the supermarket to help pressure them to deal with the problem. The Big Plastic Count was a brilliantly engaging way of supporting us to confront our waste and motivating us to make small but impactful changes." Chloe Naldrett, Bristol's EnviroMum

"Counting your plastic is as easy as 1, 2, 3. It only takes about 5 minutes a day. The UK government still hasn't set a legally binding plastic reduction target so help us to gather the proof we need so UK politicians have no excuse not to act on plastic waste at home and overseas." Laura Burley, Project Lead, The Big Plastic Count, Greenpeace UK

"The Big Plastic Count will generate unique data on how much plastic packaging waste leaves UK homes. We'll use this to confront ministers with the scale of the plastic problem and push them to lead the way with high ambition at the next round of talks for a Global Plastics Treaty. 2024 is a once in a generation opportunity to finally secure a bold global agreement to radically reduce plastic production at source, but it will only deliver the kind of progressive action needed if countries like the UK push for consensus to reduce plastic production by at least 75% by 2040. They also need to speed up the introduction of innovative reuse and refill models." Rudy Schulkind, political campaigner at Greenpeace UK

Almost a quarter of a million people participated in The Big Plastic Count in 2022, revealing:

UK households throw nearly two billion pieces of plastic packaging away weekly.
Just 12% is recycled in the UK, with the rest being burned, shipped abroad, or languished in landfills.
83% of plastic recorded was from food and drink packaging waste, the most common item being fruit and vegetable packaging.

“Having counted my plastic waste for an entire year, I know exactly how powerful this investigation can be in helping to understand the true extent of the plastic problem. Nearly 250,000 people took part in The Big Plastic Count in 2022, coming together to show that urgent change is not just what we need, but what we want. The Big Plastic Count is a simple yet impactful way to discover your household plastic footprint whilst contributing vital evidence to pressure our government to lead the way at the Global Plastics Treaty talks.” Daniel Webb, Founder and Director, Everyday Plastic

Thousands of people shared their results from The Big Plastic Count 2022 with MPs and called for achievable policies to tackle the plastic waste crisis. Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic are now calling on the government to:

Reduce plastic production by at least 75% by 2040 and speed up the introduction of innovative reuse and refill models.
Completely ban all plastic waste exports by 2027 at the latest.
Immediately implement an all-in Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements for recycling and reuse.
End approvals for new incineration facilities.

Everyday Plastic founder Daniel Webb collected every piece of his plastic waste for a whole year and developed a unique methodology alongside a scientific researcher to calculate his plastic footprint. Now, The Big Plastic Count offers the public the same chance to discover what happens to their plastic waste once they throw it away.

Sign up for The Big Plastic Count 2024: https://thebigplasticcount.com/sign-up.