Children Take Plastic Packaging Fight to Parliament: Advocacy at the Heart of Power

• Pupils from 13 primary schools from across the country travel to London today to raise the alarm to their MPs on the UK’s plastic packaging problem.
• UK households are throwing away, on average 60 pieces of plastic packaging per household weekly, an estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic nationally weekly, equating to 90 billion pieces of plastic packaging being thrown away annually. 
• Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic are calling on the UK government and supermarkets to advocate for a legally binding target in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and reduce plastic production by at least 75% by 2040. 
• Photos of Bonner Primary School children at Westminster are available here.

London, Wednesday 17 April 2024 – Pupils from Bonner Primary School, which has sites in Mile End and Bethnal Green, London, are bringing the fight against plastic waste to the heart of power today as they lobby MPs to take action against plastic pollution on The Big Plastic Count’s Youth Empowerment Day. 

The pupils join children from 12 other primary schools from across the country who travel to Westminster today to raise the alarm to their MPs on the UK’s plastic waste problem. Over 40 MPs from across all major political parties have committed to attend, including senior members of the Conservative party like Michael Gove. We are expecting a brief appearance from Minister Moore, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the DEFRA, as well as representatives from the shadow DEFRA team. After learning about the role of MPs and why talking to your MP is important, the pupils will learn about the Global Plastics Treaty, make a piece of plastic waste art, and then begin lobbying their MP for more action on plastic in a face-to-face meeting in Parliament. 

“I wanted Bonner to be a part of The Big Plastic Count because single-use plastic isn’t good for the environment; it can go in the ocean and landfill which affects animals and their habitats. We came to Parliament because we need to change the law so that it can make an amazing impact on the world.” Layla Yusuf, Year 6 pupil, Bonner Primary School 

“We decided to take part in The Big Plastic Count because we care passionately about the future of our environment. By being part of investigations and campaigns, like The Big Plastic Count, the children at Bonner can see the impact they can have to enact positive change in the world. It’s a great opportunity for children to understand an environmental issue and how that impacts themselves, our community but also the wider world. Plastic pollution is a global problem and by being part of this initiative the children are able to use their passion and enthusiasm for the environment to encourage the government to make changes that will benefit their future. We have recently set up an Eco-Committee at Bonner Primary School and these eco-representatives are so dedicated to reducing plastic waste!” Anne Sullivan, Assistant Headteacher, Bonner Primary School 

Today’s school trip to Westminster came after 28,000 pupils nationwide took part in The Big Plastic Count, a vital national survey of plastic waste launched by Greenpeace UK and non-profit organization Everyday Plastic and held between the 11th and 17th of May this year. It was a unique opportunity for people to gather evidence for the government about the extent of the UK’s plastic waste problem.

The Big Plastic Count saw participation from nearly 225,000 individuals, from over 77,000 households, and numerous members from community groups and businesses across the UK. This figure included 28,000 pupils from over 5,000 school classes, demonstrating the desire for change amongst young people. Counts were submitted across all 650 parliamentary constituencies, and 50 MPs across all parties, including ministers and shadow ministers, also took part. 

Further results from The Big Plastic Count 2024 revealed:

• UK households throw away an estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic weekly (60 pieces per household per week), equivalent to 90 billion a year. 1.7 billion pieces of plastic would take one person 53 years and 7 months to count at one second per piece. 
• Snack packaging (699,932 pieces) and fruit and veg packaging (697,085 pieces) emerged as the most commonly counted plastic items.
• Over half (58%) of the pieces of plastic packaging thrown away are being incinerated – up 12% from 46% in 2022.
• 17% was recycled in the UK, followed by waste exports (14%) and landfill (11%).

The national survey shows waves of plastic packaging leave homes across the UK each week. A recent Greenpeace International report showed that 74% of the UK public supports cutting plastic production to curb pollution, underscoring the need for the government to take decisive action to reduce plastic production and transition towards sustainable alternatives.

The Incineration Issue

The ramifications of our plastic consumption extend beyond environmental concerns. Incinerating plastic not only exacerbates climate change and can release more carbon dioxide per tonne than burning coal, but it is also incompatible with the government’s commitment to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and poses health risks to local communities, often in economically disadvantaged areas. With 57 incinerators in operation across the UK and 18 new incinerators in construction, urgent measures are necessary to address this escalating crisis.

Plastic Production Is Out of Control

An estimated 1.7 billion pieces are being thrown away a week in the UK, demonstrating that plastic production is showing no signs of slowing down. The Big Plastic Count shows what being the world’s second-biggest producer of plastic waste looks like – the UK throws away more plastic per person than every other country in the world, except the US. 

Recycling will never be able to catch up with the volume of plastics being produced. Instead, there’s a pressing need for supermarkets and policymakers to embrace reuse and refill schemes that meet the UK public’s desire for sustainable choices.

Inadequate Action on Plastic from Supermarkets

With 81% of plastic counted consisting of food and drink packaging, likely coming from supermarkets, Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic are urging supermarkets to do more to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging.  

As part of the UK Plastics Pact, supermarkets promised to make all their packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, focusing on ‘supercharging recycling’. These results show that they are miles off reaching that goal – despite it being unambitious in the first place. Recycling alone won’t fix the problem. Supermarkets must match the ambition of the UK public, who are overwhelmingly in favor of reuse, refill and reduction schemes that transform how we shop, as new Greenpeace International polling shows. 

The Global Plastics Treaty

The Big Plastic Count 2024 comes ahead of the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC4) meeting for a Global Plastics Treaty, which will be held in Ottawa, Canada, this month. Recent polling from Greenpeace International found that 74% of UK residents agree that to stop plastic pollution, we need to cut plastic production. The polling found that 69% of UK residents support the Global Plastics Treaty agreeing on a reduction in plastic production, in order to stop biodiversity loss and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Call to Action to the UK Government

In response to the alarming figures from The Big Plastic Count, Greenpeace UK, and Everyday Plastic issue a call to action for the government to:

• Show leadership at the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations by calling for a legally binding global target to cut plastic production by at least 75% by 2040
• 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. 

Supporting Quotes

“We’re using everyone’s evidence from The Big Plastic Count to confront ministers with the scale of the plastic waste problem and the public’s concern and demand for solutions. The plastics crisis is out of control, with production set to triple by 2050 if the industry has its way. The worst affected are the marginalized communities and People of Colour who are more likely to live near incineration sites or to be harmed by the waste we dump in Global South countries. This year we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally secure a global, legally binding target to radically reduce plastic production, but it will only deliver the kind of progressive action needed if countries like the UK push for plastic production to be reduced by at least 75% by 2040.” Rudy Schulkind, political campaigner at Greenpeace UK

“It’s hugely inspiring seeing these young people get involved and push their MPs for change. Their hard work and enthusiasm are really bringing home the scale of the plastic crisis to some of the most powerful people in the country. Plastic waste is everywhere – the problem is huge and the challenge of fixing it can feel overwhelming. But, as these students are telling their MPs, there are solutions out there. We just need our politicians and big businesses to grasp them – backing reuse and refill products that are accessible to all and introducing targets to cut plastic production.” Laura Burley, project lead for The Big Plastic Count at Greenpeace UK

“Understanding where our waste comes from, and holding its producers to account, is such an important step towards tackling our collective plastic waste consumption. To see the impact that The Big Plastic Count has had already over the last couple of years, and the young people it has inspired and engaged along the way has been brilliant.” Amy Meek, Co-founder & CEO, of Kids Against Plastic

ENDS