New research has exposed the hidden environmental cost of the London’s festive sweet tooth, revealing how Christmas indulgence is fuelling a growing plastic waste problem.
This Christmas, more than a third (37%) of adults living in London will accumulate at least one plastic tub filled with chocolates, sweets or biscuits – a tradition that, when scaled, translates into more than 3.2 million new plastic tubs entering London homes each year.
Laid end to end, these tubs would stretch over 500 miles – enough to travel round the central line more than 10 times.
The YouGov data, commissioned by Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, shows that while a third (33%) of Londoners are recycling their tubs correctly – the highest of all regions in the UK – many are unknowingly making matters worse through incorrect recycling. The large majority of adults (97%) say they ‘recycle’ their plastic tubs, yet more than half (64%) are placing them in kerbside collections where they cannot be recycled properly – and run the risk of ending up in landfill.
Incorrect disposal is not the only issue. A further 51% of adults in London admit they keep plastic tubs for more than a year, turning festive good intentions into long-term clutter in cupboards and garages across the country.
In response, Greene King pubs across London are encouraging people to bring their clean, empty plastic tubs into their local pub to ensure they are recycled properly via its Tub2Pub recycling scheme.
Launched in 2021, Tub2Pub provides an easy, quick and accessible recycling point at the heart of local communities up and down the country. The plastic tubs collected through the scheme are turned into new items such as picnic benches, while also helping to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Over the last five years, Tub2Pub has collected 54,665kg of plastic, which is around 475,348 tubs, raising £35,247 for Greene King’s charity partner, Macmillan Cancer Support.
Despite almost half of adults in London (45%) saying they make a conscious effort to reduce waste in general, and 72% planning to prioritise sustainability in the year ahead, confidence and efforts drop sharply during the festive period, at the same time as consumption peaks.
Concern about waste remains widespread. A third (29%) of adults in London worry about the impact waste will have on their future, while 40% agree there is simply too much waste in everyday life. One in three Londoners (29%) also recognises they need to improve their own waste reduction yet nearly four in ten (36%) feel they are not given enough support to reduce waste properly, particularly at Christmas.
Vance Fairman-Smith, Greene King’s group supply chain director, said: “We know from previous years that Tub 2 Pub is an easy way for people to reduce their environmental impact of festive waste. Our aim is to divert thousands more tubs from landfill or incineration, and we hope to see an even more positive response from communities across London this year.
“Our message is simple: don’t let plastic tubs gather dust for another year – or end up in the wrong bin. Bring them to your local Greene King pub and we’ll do the hard work for you. Together, we can reduce waste, start the new year in a more sustainable way and boost funding for Macmillan Cancer Support. It’s a win-win situation, and all the plastic returned is given a second life.”
Members of the public can take their clean and empty plastic tubs to all participating Greene King pubs nationwide between 1 January and 15 February 2026. To find out more about Tub2Pub, or to find your nearest participating pub, visit https://www.greeneking.co.uk/christmas/tub2pub.