A recent study shows that plastic packaging and plastic bags are the deadliest types of plastic in the ocean. Plastic waste kills hundreds of thousands of seabirds, sea mammals and turtles every year. [1][2]
But plastic is causing serious harm to people too. Less than 10% of the UK’s household plastic packaging is actually recycled in the UK. [3][4] Instead, plastic the government claims is recycled is being exported abroad, where most of it is at high risk of being dumped and burned in the open air. [5]
Communities in Malaysia and Indonesia near where plastic is dumped and burned are reporting serious health problems, like respiratory issues, nosebleeds and headaches. [6][7] The government wouldn’t stand for thousands of tonnes of waste being dumped on the UK - so why is it okay for them to dump waste abroad? This isn’t what 'world-leading plastic' action looks like. This is about the continuation of environmental racism, where communities predominantly in the Global South, and communities of colour are facing the health and environmental impacts of our waste.
The government must fix our plastic waste crisis in a way that doesn’t harm people or the planet. They must take responsibility for our waste and stop dumping it abroad. And as the UK is the second biggest producer of plastic waste per person in the world (behind the USA), we must cut our plastic production drastically - recycling alone won’t stop this crisis. Can you call on the government to fix the plastic crisis?
