I collected my plastic waste for a year — here is what I learned - video Dailymotion

The Independent

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00:00I've spent the year collecting the plastic left behind from my groceries.

00:02Here's what I've ended up with.

00:10We're going to have a look through this pile

00:12and see what's in there and think about where it might end up.

00:15Now a lot of it will be recyclable soft plastics of this variety.

00:18The sort you'll find wrapping veg, some bread, some crisp packets.

00:22Often the film on meat packaging is soft plastic.

00:25Now other bits in there can't be recycled and will have to go in the bin.

00:30This pile here, none of this is recyclable.

00:33There's no environmentally friendly next step for any of this.

00:35Some of it will go to landfill where it will take varying lengths of time to decompose.

00:40Most of it will be burned along with other household waste as fuel for the power grid.

00:43About half of UK household waste is burned these days.

00:46About 7% go to landfill, the rest is recycled.

00:49For food waste, incineration is considered less polluting than landfill

00:53because it prevents the release of methane that would occur if it were left to rot.

00:57But with plastic, which is mostly made from fossil fuels,

01:00burning it releases 175 times more CO2 than if it were left to decompose.

01:06Now plastic has become an increasing proportion of what is sent to the incinerator

01:09and a recent investigation by the BBC found that burning waste was now Britain's

01:13most polluting way of producing power since the last coal-planted ship.

01:17And well this is my individual contribution to that.

01:20Now this pile is for recycling.

01:24Where might it end up?

01:25As it stands, I can only recycle this if I go to a big supermarket

01:28where they have soft plastics recycling points.

01:31This was a scheme supermarkets introduced in 2021

01:34and the data isn't there to show how successful this has been in terms of volume.

01:39Though polling has found that awareness of the schemes has risen.

01:42By 2027, the government is aiming to introduce a home collection service

01:45for soft plastics recycling.

01:47We can't say with confidence that we know where this is going to end up.

01:49A recent investigation into supermarket schemes by Everyday Plastics

01:53placed tracking devices in a few dozen packages

01:56that were disposed of in supermarket bins.

01:58Of the 17 packages that they successfully tracked to their end destination,

02:0212 were incinerated.

02:03Soft plastics can be difficult to recycle.

02:06They can easily be contaminated.

02:08This packet of coriander, there's little bits of leaves left on it.

02:15That can't be recycled.

02:17That will go to be burned.

02:18For the bits that can be recycled, they can be reused

02:21but we can't maintain their structural integrity enough

02:24to use them for the same purpose again.

02:26They could be turned into bin bags or they could be turned into plastic wood.

02:30Now, we talk about a circular economy.

02:32If this ends up being turned into bin bags,

02:35that'll be one reuse and then it'll be disposed of.

02:38It's already fallen out of the circle.

02:39But a recent report by Everyday Plastics

02:41found the focus on recycling this material

02:44may be diverting attention away from efforts to reduce the amount produced.

02:47And this reflects something major that happened recently

02:50in the global conversation about plastics.

02:52Recently, there was a failed attempt to reach an international agreement

02:55on bringing plastic production down.

02:57There was a big UN conference following two years of negotiations

03:01but it fell through.

03:02On one side, there's about 100 countries,

03:05many of those most vulnerable to climate change,

03:07who want limits on production.

03:08And on the other side, there's Saudi Arabia

03:10and several other countries which produce the raw materials for plastics

03:14and they argue against limits on production

03:16and say we just need better waste management.

03:18Now, looking at my pile,

03:21this is all waste that, as best as it can be managed,

03:25it's going to be burned,

03:26perhaps some of it will go to the landfill.

03:28This can be recycled,

03:31though we aren't sure where it will end up.

03:33And even if it is recycled,

03:35it can't be turned back into food packaging.

03:37So whatever happens next,

03:40next year when I eat the equivalent amount,

03:42all of the plastic wrapping that food will have to be newly produced.

03:45Supermarkets are engaging with efforts to reduce the amount produced.

03:49WRAP, an NGO which works with businesses on reducing waste,

03:53has made a recommendation for all sorts of produce

03:55that could be sold without plastic packaging

03:57and we're seeing some movement on this.

03:58The EU is moving faster than Britain

04:00and is banning packaging for uncut veg by 2013.

04:03Now, you talk to a supermarket

04:05and they'll tell you that fruit and veg wrapping

04:07gives the produce a longer shelf life

04:08and reduces the chance it will go to waste.

04:11WRAP found that's not quite right

04:13and most produce will last as long with or without plastic.

04:16What's recommended is putting things in the fridge.

04:18Even so, some plastic packaging is considered essential

04:22and it's said to be essential

04:23because it plays a role in reducing food waste.

04:25And that's not a point to take lightly.

04:27Greenhouse gas emissions are the biggest threat the planet faces

04:30and food waste is one of the biggest drivers of greenhouse gas emissions.

04:33But the essential nature of so much plastic packaging

04:36comes from how long the product takes to reach its final destination.

04:39We spoke to an expert at WRAP

04:40who gave the example of a leg of lamb coming from New Zealand

04:44which needs plastic packaging

04:45in order to last long enough to reach a supermarket in the UK.

04:48So there's a supply chain that's in place

04:50and plastic plays a part in that.

04:52Though there is a movement for eating more locally and seasonally

04:56to reduce the emissions and packaging needed

04:58for transporting food over long distances

05:00and preserving it for long periods of time.

05:02So how much of this is necessary?

05:04And how much of that is necessary

05:06because of the way that we accept

05:08that food production and supply must work

05:10within the bounds of our society?

05:12Does essential just mean that it's very difficult

05:14to see how you move away from using it?

I collected my plastic waste for a year — here is what I learned

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