More than 40 companies have signed up to a pact that aims to cut plastic pollution over the next seven years.
The firms, which include Coca-Cola and Asda, have promised to honour a number of pledges that include eliminating single-use packaging through better design.
They have joined the government, trade associations and campaigners to form the UK Plastics Pact. Continue reading
Join Thames21, in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), on Tuesday, 3 April, in cleaning up the Thames in Hammersmith. The event will last from 11.45am to 2.30pm.
Volunteers will clean up a section of the Thames foreshore in Hammersmith to remove the litter that accumulates from the tidal motion of the river. Continue reading
Reducing the amount of plastic you use needn’t be hard. With this post, BRAG kicks off a series of tips on how to do this, one tip at a time, and in no particular order of priority, so you can gradually introduce plastic-reducing changes into your routine. And we’d love to hear your tips, too.
Tip no. 1: Carry cutlery in your bag, and refuse offers of plastic knives, forks and spoons in food outlets. If you work in an office, keep a plate, bowl, glass and cutlery in your desk.
China has recently announced that it will be taking less recycling from the UK. One of the main reasons for this change in policy is that much of the recycled material China receives is contaminated, meaning it is of poor quality or includes items that cannot be recycled, or that are difficult and expensive to sort for recycling.
A recent article on the Recycle Now website shows what we in the UK can do to improve the quality of what we put in our recycling bins. It also offers tips on what you can recycle and where to find your nearest recycling centre. To read the article, click here.
Friends of the Earth (FoE) has launched #PlasticFreeFriday, a campaign to encourage people to stop using single-use plastic products.
FoE says that if we encourage enough people to make small changes to their lives, we can cut down the amount of plastic pollution in our environment – and send a message to companies and governments that they need to act too. Continue reading
The BBC has announced that it plans to ban single-use plastics by 2020, after the television series Blue Planet II highlighted the devastation wrought by plastic pollution in the seas.
Throwaway plastic cups and cutlery will be scrapped at BBC sites by the end of this year, followed by plastic containers in canteens by 2019.
The Scottish Parliament has also announced that it plans to ban plastic straws, following similar announcements by restaurants including Pizza Express, Wagamama and JD Wetherspoon.
For further information, click here.
Greenpeace has launched a petition to persuade supermarkets to follow retailer Iceland’s lead and get rid of plastic packaging. By dispensing with plastic packaging, supermarkets can set an example of how to significantly reduce the amount of single-use plastic produced, according to the environmental NGO.
To sign the petition, click here.
Ecover, a manufacturer of household cleaning products, has launched a washing-up-liquid bottle made with 50% plastic waste that has washed up on and been collected from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. The remaining 50% is recycled plastic. Continue reading
Environment Minister Michael Gove has just launched a public consultation about introducing a bottle deposit scheme in England. The news follows the delivery of a bottle deposit petition, an initiative of Surfers Against Sewage, to 10 Downing Street. The petition attracted 250,000 signatures, calling on the minister to help protect our oceans and beaches from plastic pollution. Continue reading
BRAG members turned out in force for the Brentford Festival in Blondin Park on 3 September. The BRAG stand was devoted to plastic waste pollution, with display boards (see below) showing the devastating effects of waste plastic, especially in the oceans, rivers and seas, and how it affects wildlife.
