According to Greepeace only 17% of the UK’s plastic waste is recycled: the rest is burned, dumped abroad, or sent to landfill. Globally only 9% of all plastics produced are actually being recycled, and in fact only 21% of all plastic is economically recyclable, (i.e. the value of the recycled material is high enough to cover the cost of collecting, sorting, and processing it).
Recycling systems can’t cope with the sheer amount of plastic waste that’s being produced. And much of it can’t be recycled at all. While we can individually do our bit, changing our recycling and shopping habits alone isn’t going to solve the systemic problem of global overproduction of plastic.
In August world leaders are meeting to agree a Global Treaty to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution. This treaty needs to reduce plastic production at source. You can tell the UK government that this is an issue you care about by signing Greenpeace’s petition.
The same message is being promoted for World Environment Day on 5th June, which calls for global collective action to tackle plastic pollution.