Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
We put our plastic waste in the right bin and assume it’s being taken care of, right? Well, today, we can reveal that the majority of the pieces we throw away are being set on fire right here in the UK.
These are the findings from The Big Plastic Count this year. An incredible 224,381 citizen scientists from 77,783 households took part, including almost 29,000 school pupils.
Here’s what we found:
UK households are throwing away an estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic packaging every week. That’s 90 billion pieces a year.
If you counted all the plastic packaging the UK uses in one week, one second at a time, it would take you 53 years and 7 months.
The most counted category was snack packaging (699,932 pieces), closely followed by fruit and vegetable packaging (697,085 pieces).
Over half (58%) of the pieces are being incinerated - that’s up from 46% when we did the count in 2022.
Only 17% would get recycled, 14% would be exported and 11% would end up in landfill.
The UK produces more plastic waste per person than almost any other nation – second only to the US.
These findings reveal both the tidal wave of plastic packaging entering our homes each week and the government’s irresponsible way of dealing with it all.
That’s why we’re urging the government, brands, and supermarkets to support a strong, legally binding Global Plastics Treaty to cut plastic production by 75% by 2040.
Tell the government it’s time for action. Email your MP and ask them to sign a pledge for a strong Global Plastics Treaty: https://act.gp/3UzwvXl
Synopsis:
The video shows the results of The Big Plastic Count. It talks about how governments love cutting stuff, so why can't they cut plastic production?
There are lots of shots of plastic being produced, and lots of plastic waste.
It then shows a household who have been doing their bit to recycle for years, and now it's time for big brands and supermarkets to do theirs. It also illustrates the fact that some people need plastic to live independently.
This is followed by the results - just 17% recycled, 14% exported, 11% sent to landfill and 58% of the pieces we throw away are burnt.
It then focuses on the solutions - a young women emails her MP to ask the government to cut plastic production. It shows that the Global Plastics Treaty is the opportunity to cut plastic production.
We put our plastic waste in the right bin and assume it’s being taken care of, right? Well, today, we can reveal that the majority of the pieces we throw away are being set on fire right here in the UK.
These are the findings from The Big Plastic Count this year. An incredible 224,381 citizen scientists from 77,783 households took part, including almost 29,000 school pupils.
Here’s what we found:
UK households are throwing away an estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic packaging every week. That’s 90 billion pieces a year.
If you counted all the plastic packaging the UK uses in one week, one second at a time, it would take you 53 years and 7 months.
The most counted category was snack packaging (699,932 pieces), closely followed by fruit and vegetable packaging (697,085 pieces).
Over half (58%) of the pieces are being incinerated - that’s up from 46% when we did the count in 2022.
Only 17% would get recycled, 14% would be exported and 11% would end up in landfill.
The UK produces more plastic waste per person than almost any other nation – second only to the US.
These findings reveal both the tidal wave of plastic packaging entering our homes each week and the government’s irresponsible way of dealing with it all.
That’s why we’re urging the government, brands, and supermarkets to support a strong, legally binding Global Plastics Treaty to cut plastic production by 75% by 2040.
Tell the government it’s time for action. Email your MP and ask them to sign a pledge for a strong Global Plastics Treaty: https://act.gp/3UzwvXl
Synopsis:
The video shows the results of The Big Plastic Count. It talks about how governments love cutting stuff, so why can't they cut plastic production?
There are lots of shots of plastic being produced, and lots of plastic waste.
It then shows a household who have been doing their bit to recycle for years, and now it's time for big brands and supermarkets to do theirs. It also illustrates the fact that some people need plastic to live independently.
This is followed by the results - just 17% recycled, 14% exported, 11% sent to landfill and 58% of the pieces we throw away are burnt.
It then focuses on the solutions - a young women emails her MP to ask the government to cut plastic production. It shows that the Global Plastics Treaty is the opportunity to cut plastic production.
