Reducing plastic consumption:
In the UK it is estimated that five million tonnes of plastic is used every year, nearly half of which is packaging.
There are several UK initiatives aimed at changing the way that plastics are designed, produced, used, re-used, disposed of and reprocessed by all stakeholders in the plastics chain.
- The “Plastics Pact”, is a collaboration of businesses, which has set a target to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic packaging, for all plastic packaging to be re‑usable, recyclable or compostable and for 70% to be recycled or composted by 2025.
- The “Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan” (PIRAP), an industry action plan which includes increased collection of recyclable plastics; improved sorting; and developing end markets for recycled plastics.
- The “UK Circular Plastics Network” (UKCPN), which aims to bring together plastic product users through a programme of networking and knowledge-sharing events.
Information source: HM Government: Our waste, our resources: a strategy for England