- Greenpeace, Everyday Plastic and Chris Packham invite participants to join the 80,000 households already signed up to count their plastic from 11-17 March.
- 33 MPs have signed up to take part.
- Photos and video are available here.
London, UK, Monday 04 March – Nationwide, across all 650 parliamentary constituencies, 80,000 participants have already signed up for The Big Plastic Count 2024, including over 10,000 school classes. They have committed to counting a week’s 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 regions 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. It is particularly vital in 2024, the final year of talks for a global plastics treaty. The results of The Big Plastic Count will be released on 17 April.
“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
“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
“The Big Plastic Count is a great opportunity for thousands of us in the UK to come together and show we want this plastics crisis solved. It’s a powerful reminder to the Government that people across the UK and worldwide are getting on with tackling plastic pollution. We need global politicians ensuring we get a strong Global Plastics Treaty agreed upon this year.” Richard Gower, Senior Economist, Tearfund
“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, Cornwall, The Big Plastic Count 2024 Participant
“Our school is delighted to be a part of The Big Plastic Count again, a new generation of fresh eyes are raring to go. Our pupils, even the younger ones, realise the enormity of the plastic problem, which continues to damage the environment, the oceans and wildlife. They are passionate to be a part of a real solution. Having already lobbied an MP as part of The Big Plastic Count previously, our school would like to use the evidence gathered to spur on even more influential adults to take action now, in helping to sort out this global plastic problem.” Rebecca Razzaque, Head of Year 5 at Kenmore Park Junior School in Harrow, The Big Plastic Count 2024 Participant
The following 33 MPs have signed up to participate in The Big Plastic Count next week:
Bim Afolami (Hitchin and Harpenden), Tonia Antoniazzi (Gower), Bambos Charalambous (Enfield Southgate), Ronnie Cowan (Inverclyde), Angela Crawley (Lanark and Hamilton East), Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk), Simon Fell (Barrow and Furness), Liam Fox (North Somerset), Roger Gale (North Thanet), Paul Girvan (South Antrim), Patrick Grady (Glasgow North), Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South), Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire), John Howell (Henley), Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham, Edgbaston), Ian Lavery (Wansbeck), Julia Lopez (Hornchurch and Upminster), Rachael Maskell (York Central), Stuart McDonald (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East), Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow North East), Anna McMorrin (Cardiff North), Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills), David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale), Ian Murray (Edinburgh South), Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire), Henry Smith (Crawley), Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge), Graham Stringer (Blackley and Broughton), James Sunderland (Bracknell), Desmond Swayne (New Forest West), Steve Tuckwell (Uxbridge and South Ruislip), Giles Watling (Clacton), Andrew Western (Stretford and Urmston).
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.
ENDS
Contact:
Ray Hopkinson, Kibbo Kift Agency – ray.hopkinson@kibbokiftagency.com 07717 721 441
Alex Sedgwick, Greenpeace UK – alexandra.sedgwick@greenpeace.org 07973 873 155
Notes to editor:
About The Big Plastic Count
British Science Week, Common Seas, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Eco Schools, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Green Schools Project, Kids Against Plastic, Let’s Go Zero, Ministry of Eco Education, Reloop, Students Organising for Sustainability UK, Surfers Against Sewage, Tearfund, Transform Our World, UKWIN, University of Portsmouth and the Young People’s Trust for the Environment are among the organisations supporting the campaign.
The Big Plastic Count website and sign-up page are available here
The Big Plastic Count launch video is available here
Photos and videos for The Big Plastic Count are available here
About Everyday Plastic
Founded in 2018 by Daniel Webb, Everyday Plastic is an evidence-led non-profit organisation delivering accessible learning and campaigns that tackle the effects of the plastic problem that are felt across our society. Having co-founded The Big Plastic Count – the UK’s largest-ever investigation into household plastic waste – with partners Greenpeace, Everyday Plastic’s unique methodology for calculating people’s plastic footprint continues to inspire change at every level of society.
Website: everydayplastic.org
About Greenpeace UK
Greenpeace is a movement of people who are passionate about defending the natural world from destruction. Our vision is a greener, healthier and more peaceful planet, one that can sustain life for generations to come. We are independent. We don’t accept any funding from governments, corporations or political parties – our work is funded by ordinary people. That means we are free to confront governments and corporations responsible for the destruction of the natural world and push for real change. We do this by investigating, documenting and exposing the causes of environmental destruction. We work to bring about change by lobbying, consumer pressure and mobilising members of the general public. We take peaceful, direct action to protect our Earth and promote solutions for a green and peaceful future.
Greenpeace has influenced a significant United Nations Treaty before. Thanks to the tireless work of Greenpeace supporters and a coalition of organisations, The Global Oceans Treaty was agreed upon in 2023. It’s considered the biggest conservation win in history, with the potential to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030.
Website: greenpeace.org.uk
