UK consumers use 25 billion single-use bottles yearly, over 6.5 billion of which are not recycled. That’s over 17 million plastic, glass, aluminium or steel bottles daily, contributing to polluted beaches, oceans and a growing emissions problem. You might have heard of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), a simple yet powerful environmental initiative that places a small refundable deposit - around 20p - on single-use drinks containers. Consumers can get their deposit back upon

Coca-Cola has heavily promoted recycling as a solution to the problem of plastic pollution and environmental harm. This has unfairly shifted the burden of responsibility for plastic pollution onto consumers. Coca-Cola can continue to produce large quantities of cheap plastic bottles without any accountability, whilst the public takes the blame for litter. Recycling is a false solution to the plastic problem. Only 9% of plastic has ever been recycled. Many plastics can’t be re

For decades, we were told the recycling system was working. Sort your plastics, leave them at the kerb, and trust that they will find a new life. In 2026, that story is falling apart. The UK's plastics recycling sector is in freefall. In 2022, the country had 1.1 million tonnes of plastic recycling capacity. Within just 18 months, an estimated 260,000 tonnes per year of that capacity had been lost due to site closures. In the last two years alone, 21 recycling operations acro

Solving the plastics crisis isn’t simple. Instead of focusing on recycling, research tells us that we need to think more broadly by looking at strategies like re-use. If we can embrace this concept globally, we have the opportunity to truly cut plastic pollution. Single-use plastics are the biggest culprit behind plastic pollution, making up around 50% of plastic produced. Often touted as recyclable, only about 5% of plastic is actually recycled in the US. A recent analysis o

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reported that global plastic production has reached 400 million metric tonnes . Year on year, the demand for plastic has increased exponentially, driven by its availability, cost effectiveness and durability in relation to natural products such as wood. The term 'durability' is almost contradictory when describing plastic. Plastics can take thousands of years to break down in landfill, yet over time they also slowly degrade into microplas

Chemical Recycling is the process of converting plastic waste into raw materials to make new plastic, helping reduce the need for fossil fuels - the feedstock of most plastics. Chemical Recycling initially appeared to be a promising solution to the plastic waste crisis, however, concerns are growing about its effectiveness, environmental impacts and economic sustainability. The Reality Behind the Technology Chemical Recycling is proving to be a costly gamble. The most co

“If you really believe in something you can make it happen and it’s okay to make it up as you go along.”* Back in 2016, Dan Webb thought that plastic pollution happened in other parts of the world, not at home in the UK. But when he moved out of London to the coast, he was really shocked to see how much plastic pollution there was on the beaches, and decided to do something about it. Inspiration He started to realise just how much packaging there was, the amount that he was b

From bread bags to bubble wrap, crisp packets to cling film, we are still heavily reliant on soft plastic packaging despite the damage it does to the planet after use. Recycling has been shown to be largely ineffective . We need to reduce our reliance on soft plastics in the first place and encourage reusable packaging. The Role of Supermarkets Despite promising to phase out soft plastics, UK supermarkets have been failing to meet their own targets on reducing soft plastic

We’ve just heard about a new recycling scheme, very similar to a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), operating in three Suffolk towns. This...

The average European drinks 118 litres of bottled water each year, 97% of which are in plastic bottles, a well-recognised source of...

“If you really believe in something you can make it happen and it’s okay to make it up as you go along.”* Back in 2016, Dan Webb thought...

Environmental and economic arguments for reuse Too often conflated with recycling, reuse involves multiple circulations of reusable...

A recent study by the University of Strathclyde reveals that alarming amounts of microplastics are being produced by an unnamed plastics...

‘The Fraud of Plastic Recycling’ reveals plastic producers have known for decades that plastic recycling is not a real solution.

‘Soft plastics’ are a category of plastic waste that includes things like clear film, crisp packets, fruit bags, food pouches and biscuit...

The huge glass packaging industry could make a big impact in the transition to sustainable packaging systems. Glass packaging is a major...

Biodegradability is a complex issue. Unknown and unclear terms are used in misleading ways. We have all heard the buzzwords around...

Plastic waste is mostly recycled mechanically – shredded, melted and shaped into new products. The UN has stated: 'chemical recycling...

The world produces two billion tonnes of waste per year. Most solid plastic waste is produced in the Global North, which includes...

First created for large playing fields, artificial grass can now be found in a whole range of businesses, schools, public roof terraces and private gardens. With more people aspiring to minimal maintenance lawns, the astroturf market has seen a huge increase. In fact it’s projected to reach 7 billion pounds by 2025 . But is it a good idea to be laying plastic all over our towns and cities? Aside from the fact it looks a little odd, there are many reasons astroturf is best avo