An estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic are thrown away in the United Kingdom (UK) every week, a recent survey has shown.
This equates to 90 billion items annually, according to an investigation called The Big Plastic Count.
More than 224,000 people from schools, households, community groups and businesses across the UK took part in the Count, organized by Greenpeace UK and Everyday Plastic.
Over 4.6 million pieces of plastic waste were counted during a single week in March.
Daniel Webb, director of Everyday Plastic, said that the survey not only helped people discover their plastic footprints, but also gathered “vital evidence” for environmental protection organizations to pressure the government to “take urgent action on the plastic crisis.”
Despite the UK government’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050, the survey revealed that 58 percent of household plastic waste is incinerated, up from 46 percent in 2022.
Only 17 percent of plastic remnants are recycled, the survey showed, while 14 percent were exported to “other countries with poorer recycling infrastructure than the UK.”
“The plastics crisis is out of control,” said Rudy Schulkind from Greenpeace UK. He added that those worst-affected by the problem are “the marginalized communities.” ■
