6 minutes | Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Confusion around what plastic packaging can and can’t be recycled is impacting our efforts as a nation to ‘go green’, despite the appetite for change, according to a new study.
The study by Ecover shows seven in 10 Britons are confused, wrongly believing that cling film (65%) and laminated pouches (71%) are recyclable. When in doubt, over a third (37%) throw packaging into general waste and over a quarter (28%) are unsure of what to do with packaging that is only partially recyclable.
Calls for action come as environmental concerns increase across the UK. Three quarters of British people (75%) are concerned about plastic in our oceans, while two-thirds (66%) worry about plastic affecting wildlife. But the big new concern is human health – 39% of us are now anxious about the presence of micro plastics in tap water and plastic in the food chain.
Joining us in the studio is Tom Domen, Global Head of Long Term Innovation at Ecover and Julian Kirby, Plastics Campaigner at Friends of the Earth.