Single Use Plastic’s Worst Offenders: Focusing efforts where they count most

Plastic pollution is a predictable part of life now. It’s an issue that connects the environment with all parts of society. And it’s something that we can all take action on at every level. In fact, it’s only through concrete, collective, positive action that we will be able to stop the flood of plastic pollution from overwhelming the planet.

But how do we make sure those actions are delivering maximum impact?

Turning off the plastic tap isn’t going to happen overnight. Which is why we need to focus efforts where they will have the greatest impact. We need to focus on the big hitters of plastic pollution.

The Plastic Free Communities campaign focuses on what we call the ‘Worst Offenders’ of plastic pollution. These are the items that we see most frequently in pollution reports, beach cleans and throughout day to day life. They are also the items that we buy in millions every day in the UK, that we can start to take-action on.

To give you a taster …38.5 million plastic bottles will be bought in the UK today. If we stopped using them we’d be making a HUGE dent in plastic pollution. Same with disposable coffee cups. Over 7 million are bought in the UK each day. Deciding not to use them will pack a punch.

So, what’s on the Worst Offenders list?

• Plastic Bottles
• Coffee Cups
• Plastic Takeaway Packaging
• Avoidable Food Packaging
• Plastic Bags
• Bathroom Plastics
• Plastic Cups
• Balloons & Decorations

Why these items?

Check out the stats and it becomes clear that these items go out the doors of UK businesses in their millions each day. By taking action on just one or two we can make a significant impact on plastic reduction locally. Here’s a few stats to fuel thought

By eliminating these worst offenders businesses and individuals are not only reducing their plastic footprint, but they’re also setting the trend locally, and other businesses and people are bound to follow suite.

What else can we do?

The Brand Audit is our annual Citizen Science project that collects data on plastic pollution found on our beaches, streets and green or blue spaces. All items found are categorised and their brands (if visible) are tallied up, allowing us to call out the top 12 most polluting brands in the UK. These are ‘The Dirty Dozen’, at the moment topped by the likes of Coca Cola, Pepsico and McDonalds.

These top polluting brands match up pretty closely with our worst offenders list, and over 50% of the items collected for our were food and drink related items. This highlights that those Worst Offenders, branded or not, are the highest contributors to the plastic pollution crisis.

Our ambition at Surfers Against Sewage is to end plastic pollution on beaches by 2030. To achieve this, we are calling for change from industry, government and consumers. We need:

• Legislation that ends the production and consumption of non-essential single-use & polluting plastics.
• Business models that are focused on reduction & reuse
• Cultural change across society
• Legislation that ensures effective resource use & waste management

All the work that goes on in Plastic Free Communities to collect data, engage with local businesses and councils, spread the word to the far corners of local communities and get involved with cleans and citizen science is vital to turning those ambitions into realities. From individual actions to creating a local movement that taps into a national, collective voice. We’re joining forces to free where we live from single use.

Join the movement HERE