Business, Campaign News, Challenging Government, Community Allies, Community Cleans, Community News, Events & Actions, Impact, Plastic Pollution, Stats & Research Posted — 22 December 2025
2025: A year of epic community action across the UK
2025 was a landmark year for Plastic Free Communities. From inspiring local businesses and councils to ditch single-use plastic, to leading The People vs Plastic protests, and over 300 cleans across our coastline, rivers, and streets. Our grassroots network turned passion into action. Together, we’ve shown that community power can drive real change, and we’re fired up for what 2026 has in store.
SAS Community Weekend
Our communities across the UK came together in February at our SAS Community Weekend in Yorkshire. We mixed indoor workshops with outdoor mindfulness and team building to bring our different volunteer groups together, build relationships, make friends, and plan for the year ahead.
The People vs Plastic Protests
In July, Plastic Free Communities stood up against the growing wave of plastic production and called for an end to plastic pollution, with The People vs Plastic Protests. Together, we turned up the heat to make sure the government and the polluting industries wake up to the mass public outrage over plastic, and demanding urgent and ambitious action to tackle plastic pollution in the UK.
We saw some brilliant and creativity during this national moment, from painted placards, to waste plastic sculptures and beautiful memorial benches. Showing that communities have the power to turn the tide, and when we come together, we’re an unstoppable people-powered movement.
And it worked, the Government committed to implementing a Deposit Return Scheme, a key policy in tackling plastic bottle pollution, and Extended Producer Responsibility came into force, which will ensure polluters pay for the whole life cycle of plastic they produce. A Circular Economy Strategy was also announced to come in 2026. But we’ll be watching and ensuring the government stands firm on it’s commitments in 2026, and beyond.
The Global Plastic Treaty
The final negotiation round of the Global Plastics Treaty took place in August in a landmark moment. World leaders, negotiators, campaigners, and lobbyists gathered to agree on an international, legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. The SAS Team were there, taking with them the voices and stories of our Plastic Free Communities, to demand a lasting, legally binding agreement. Plastic Free Communities were THE voice of UK communities at the treaty.
Although an agreement wasn’t reached, there were positive takeaways. Those fighting for strong treaty didn’t back down, and now there is still hope for a strong treaty in the future.
Million Mile Cleans
We saw an incredible number of community cleans take place this year, and many organized by Plastic Free Communities. Nearly 300 cleans have been registered by Plastic Free Communities. 147,066 people got involved with Million Mile Cleans this year, cleaning an epic 298,137 miles. That’s an average of 18 cleans every day since the start of the year.
Plastic Free Communities have been instrumental in driving citizen science, by collected data on what they find. There’s real power in this data, which provides the evidence for the scale of plastic pollution in the UK to call out the biggest polluters.
We had a epic time with our Spring and Autumn cleans this year too, and these annual events bring together ocean activists and water lovers to demand an end to plastic pollution in our communities. For our Autumn cleans this year, our communities got spooky with a Halloween fancy dress theme. Prizes were given out for the best dressed, biggest find and spookiest find.
Breaking Free from Single-Use Plastic
Plastic Free Communities are driving sustainable long-term plastic reduction where they live, by uniting and firing up individuals, businesses and local organisations to fight back against plastic pollution. They’re taking action on the ground that triggers change at the top.
They inspired over 200 local independent businesses to sign up, and become Plastic Free Champions in 2025. Businesses achieve their award by removing three single-use plastics, and more businesses than ever have then gone on to deepen their actions through the Silver and Gold Plastic Free Champion awards.
Community leads also connected with hundreds of Community Allies, such a local charities, schools and societies to help build sustainable grassroots networks all taking action on single-use plastic. An amazing 19 UK councils have signed the plastic free motion this year and pledged to remove single-use plastic from their operations.
Community Visits
In 2025 our team at SAS made regional visits to meet our UK Plastic Free Communities. Over the year our visits reached London, Birmingham, Wales, Cornwall and Scotland. Meeting our communities in person was invaluable and something we will build on in 2026. Every community is unique so it’s vital to the campaign that they are able to share their stories. In person gatherings build new friendships, inspire new ideas, and strengthen our connections.
A Growing Movement
This year we’ve seen the number of awarded communities grow, more businesses being awarded, more community allies sign the pledge to support local action. Community leads have been organising an amazing number of events, and the number of individuals who have been reached through local promotion and resources is inspiring. It’s hard to quantify the waves of change our communities have powered, not just this year, but also since 2017. But here’s some numbers to give you an idea..
Looking ahead to 2026…
Next year looks set to be full of even more impactful moments, so watch this space. We’ll be kicking off pre-election campaigning in Wales and Scotland, and laying down our asks on sewage and plastic pollution to the prospective devolved governments. The Brand Audit will return in 2026, to hold the big plastic polluters to account, as well as an online action which everyone can get involved in.
And, our Plastic Free Communities will continue to change the system and turn the tide on plastic pollution, by taking action on ground that triggers change at the top, and uniting their communities to break free from single-use plastic, one bottle at a time.
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