Business, Case study, Community Case Studies Posted — 6 March 2025
Community leaders join forces on Plastic Free Ramadan
Ramadan starts on 1st March and runs throughout the whole month. It’s a time of spiritual reflection for Muslims, who fast during daylight hours and come together to eat after dusk.
There are an estimated 500 mosques in the UK and each one can use up to 3,000 water bottles and 2,000 plastic plates and cutlery sets during Ramadan. Projects Against Plastic (PAP) reckon taking part in Plastic Free Ramadan could save a tonne of waste per mosque – that’s the same weight of nearly 70 elephants.
The backstory
Plastic Free Ramadan started in 2019 in Bristol, when Naseem Talukdar from PAP spotted the sheer volume of throwaway packaging used to serve food and drink while breaking fast.
It was a pilot scheme with a water fountain and a dishwasher installed at a mosque in Naseem’s home community of Fishponds. It reduced waste by 70 per cent.
Mosques in the South West, South East, North West and the Midlands joined the campaign, then in 2023 and 2024 came the single use plastic (SUP) bans. So, last month, Naseem and a host of other Community Leaders held a workshop in the House of Lords. To build on their work and raise awareness, to help representatives become a ‘community hub for sustainability’.
The idea is that, in 2025, there is more understanding of the SUP bans, that other single use plastic items are simply refused, and that long-term solutions are put in place
Half of all plastics are used just once, often for only a few moments. Small behaviour changes can make a massive impact. We are keen to work with community champions from across the UK to take action and protect our environment for future generations.
Naseem Talukdar, PAP founder
Sheila El Dieb, environmental task group chair of British Muslim Strategic Leadership Group, said: “We believe we giving the mosques their natural leadership roles at a critical period of the year and also giving them the format to inform their communities on recent [SUP] legislation’.
“Ramadan is a time when Muslims are reconsidering their individual place in the world along with their responsibility to the planet, each other and our fellow global inhabitants.
“No step is too small to seek to find ecological ways of making our living sustainable; no person is unimportant in this journey.”
Ramadan 2025
PAP is encouraging a host of actions to put the planet first during the holy month. On plastic pollution they are working on things like:
- Refusing plastic water bottle donations and installing a refill point
- Promoting reusable water bottles
- Using reusable crockery and cutlery
- Investing in an industrial dishwasher to support reuse
- Bringing reusable containers for takeaways
- Using reusable shoe covers
- Making sure recycling of any packaging left is effective
Naseem feels there is ‘immense potential’ for change, especially when key stakeholders—such as local businesses, religious leaders, and community champions—take proactive steps.
By working together, we can reduce plastic waste, encourage responsible consumption, and foster a deeper connection between our faith and the environment. By integrating sustainability into mosque programs and practices mosques can inspire broader social change and demonstrate the power of collective action. I firmly believe that by raising awareness, addressing challenges head-on, and empowering stakeholders, we can create a future where Ramadan is celebrated not only for its spiritual significance but also for its commitment to protecting the planet.
Naseem Talukdar, PAP founder
Want to find out more? Head to the Projects Against Plastic site and also keep an eye on our socials over the coming month. We’ll be sharing video diaries on how Mosques are getting on as well as more top ideas for cutting plastic pollution.
You can also get a general Plastic Free Individual Action Plan here
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