Most plastic waste ends up in landfill sites or leaks into the natural environment, where it is causing huge damage to eco-systems on land and sea, creating near permanent contamination. The Guardian revealed that supermarkets create more than half of the plastic waste in the household stream in the UK. Much of the packaging they sell to consumers is not recyclable: plastic film, black plastic trays, sleeves on drinks bottles and some coloured plastic. The issue of plastic waste caused public outcry after the BBC series Blue Planet II, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, highlighted the scale of the problem. “The UK public has shown passion and energy in the fight against plastic waste, and I believe the Commonwealth is uniquely placed to further this transformative action.

Source: The Guardian April 14, 2018 21:22 UTC