On Easter Monday (Monday 18 April) volunteers from Greenpeace Preston spoke to Prestonians about ‘The Big Plastic Count’ at the Egg Rolling event in Avenham and Miller Park.

Volunteers showed passers-by a photo of the plastic used by Everyday Plastic Founder Daniel Webb, and asked them to guess how many people’s plastic it was.

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Less than half guessed the correct answer, one, but someone thought it was the plastic of a hundred people.

The Big Plastic Count, a collaboration between Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic, is taking place between May 16 – 22.

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It will uncover the truth about how much household plastic we throw away, and how much is really recycled.

Individuals, households, schools, community groups and businesses across the UK will count their plastic packaging waste, record the different types they throw away and submit their results online.

Isabel, a Greenpeace volunteer said: “We’re all doing our bit to recycle, but plastic waste is still everywhere. We never used to have so much plastic covering our shopping when I was younger and it only seems to be getting worse.

“That’s why I’m counting my plastic for one week and submitting this data to get my personal plastic footprint, to find out what really happens to our plastic waste.

“More than 73,000 people from across the UK including almost 90 households in Preston have signed up to take part so far.

“The data each participant generates will contribute to an overall national picture, filling a crucial evidence gap on exactly how much plastic packaging waste is leaving UK homes.

“The results will demonstrate the scale of the plastic waste problem and pressure the government and supermarkets to tackle the root cause of the plastic crisis.”

The launch of The Big Plastic Count comes as new polling from YouGov, commissioned by Greenpeace UK, shows that more than four in five people (81%) want the UK Government to introduce targets to reduce plastic waste.

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In the North of England, 77% of people support such targets. The YouGov survey also shows how almost four in five (77%) people in the UK recycle plastic products in order to reduce plastic waste.

However, three in four (75%) don’t know what happens to their plastic recycling after disposing of it. The UK produces more plastic waste per person than almost any other country in the world – second only to the USA.

In 2018, the UK generated 5.2 million tonnes, enough to fill Wembley Stadium six times over.

John, another Greenpeace volunteer at the stall, said: “I was amazed that one person used so much plastic in six months. 

“I put the plastic I use in the recycling bin, so I’m disappointed to hear that lots of that plastic might not actually be recycled, but is in fact often incinerated, sent to landfill, or dumped abroad.

“It’s up to the Government and big supermarkets to cut plastic packaging, and to properly deal with our waste.”

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This year, the government is starting to decide on legal targets to reduce plastic waste.

Greenpeace Preston is calling on the Government to set a target to reduce single-use plastic by 50% by 2025, to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic re-use and recycling, and ban the dumping of our waste onto other countries. 

Sign-up to take part at: https://thebigplasticcount.com

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Will you be participating in the plastic count? Let us know in the comments below.