The Big Plastic Count, conducted by Greenpeace UK and Everyday Plastic, with academic support from the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth, found that UK households discard an estimated 90 billion plastic pieces annually, with only 17% being recycled domestically.

Running from 11-17 March this year, The Big Plastic Count saw participation from nearly 225,000 individuals, from over 77,000 households, and numerous members from community groups and businesses across the UK. This figure included 28,000 pupils from over 5,000 school classes, demonstrating the desire for change amongst young people. Counts were submitted across all 650 parliamentary constituencies, and 50 MPs across all parties, including ministers and shadow ministers, also participated.

Further national results from The Big Plastic Count 2024 revealed:
UK households throw away an estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic weekly (60 pieces per household per week), equivalent to 90 billion a year. 1.7 billion pieces of plastic would take one person 53 years and 7 months to count at one second per piece.
Snack packaging (699,932 pieces) and fruit and veg packaging (697,085 pieces) emerged as the most commonly counted plastic items.
Over half (58%) of the pieces of plastic packaging thrown away are being incinerated – up 12% from 46% in 2022.
17% was recycled in the UK, followed by waste exports (14%) and landfill (11%).

The national survey shows waves of plastic packaging leave homes across the UK each week. A recent Greenpeace International report showed that 74% of the UK public supports cutting plastic production to curb pollution, underscoring the need for the government to take decisive action to reduce plastic production and transition towards sustainable alternatives.

The Incineration Issue

The ramifications of our plastic consumption extend beyond environmental concerns. Incinerating plastic not only exacerbates climate change and can release more carbon dioxide per tonne than burning coal, but it is also incompatible with the government’s commitment to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and poses health risks to local communities, often in economically disadvantaged areas. With 57 incinerators in operation across the UK, and 18 new incinerators in construction, urgent measures are necessary to address this escalating crisis.

Plastic production Is Out of Control

An estimated 1.7 billion pieces are being thrown away a week in the UK, demonstrating that plastic production is showing no signs of slowing down. The Big Plastic Count shows what being the world’s second biggest producer of plastic waste looks like – the UK throws away more plastic per person than every other country in the world, except the US.

Recycling will never be able to catch up with the volume of plastics being produced. Instead, there’s a pressing need for supermarkets and policymakers to embrace reuse and refill schemes that meet the UK public’s desire for sustainable choices.

Inadequate Action on Plastic from Supermarkets
With 81% of plastic counted consisting of food and drink packaging, likely coming from supermarkets, Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic are urging supermarkets to do more to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging.

As part of the UK Plastics Pact, supermarkets promised to make all their packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, focusing on ‘supercharging recycling’. These results show that they are miles off reaching that goal – despite it being unambitious in the first place. Recycling alone won’t fix the problem. Supermarkets must match the ambition of the UK public, who are overwhelmingly in favour of reuse, refill and reduction schemes that transform how we shop, as new Greenpeace International polling shows.