UK environment and animal welfare charities are calling on businesses, governments and individuals to try harder to reduce waste – in particular plastic – this Christmas
Some 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will be thrown away without being recycled in the UK this Christmas, while around 88 sq km of wrapping paper is likely to be used, enough to cover Brighton and Hove in gift wrap.
The figures are being shared by a group of UK environment and animal welfare charities that have united to urge action on waste this festive season. They are urging businesses to slash wasteful packaging, governments to commit to measures to tackle plastic pollution, and for householders to use less plastic and recycle more. Plastics, foil and aerosols are the recyclables most likely to evade the recycling bin, they say.Be informed. Be inspired.
The UK uses around 300,000 tonnes of card packaging at Christmas, according to Wrap, while the total waste created in the UK this Christmas from food and drink, packaging, wrapping paper, cards, Christmas trees and other rubbish, is likely to exceed 5m tonnes – equivalent to around 450,000 double decker buses.
The charities are particularly keen to highlight plastic waste, as it degrades slowly and is having a huge negative impact on our oceans. Louise Edge, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace, said: “Christmas is the time of year when you can really see just how much plastic packaging there is, and how little of it is genuinely useful. Manufacturers and retailers say that’s what we want – lots of brightly coloured mixed material packaging made with virgin plastic.
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