It’S TIME TO #CUTTHECUTLERY
HOW WE’RE TACKLING THE MOST POLLUTING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC ITEMS
A REAL fork in the road moment
Together with our friends at Greenpeace, we took action to turn the tide on the single-use plastic caused by our addiction to eating and drinking on the go.
Packaging from take-away food and drinks is a huge cause of plastic pollution and items like coffee cups, cutlery and takeaway containers are consistently in the top 10 items found on beaches around the world. A report revealed that just 10 plastic products make up 75% of all single-use plastic items found in our oceans, rivers and on our beaches and scientists say the pollution must be stopped at source. Single-use bags, plastic bottles, food containers and food wrappers are the four most widespread items polluting the seas, making up almost half of the human-made waste, the researchers found.
It’s time to #CutTheCutlery and rebuild with reuse!
Campaign win!
More than 118,000 people signed our petition, which we launched in collaboration with 38 Degrees and Greenpeace, forcing the government to open a consultation on completing the ban. An incredible 50,000 of our supporters then went on to respond to the Defra consultation. This was a huge campaign win and played a part in the ban finally coming into force from the 1st October 2023.
The introduction of this ban represents a mind-blowing 4.25 BILLION pieces of single-use cutlery saved in England each year!
Our take-away habits are flooding our oceans with plastic
- Just 10 plastic products now make up 75% of all single-use marine litter & most are related to food & drink consumption.
- 5 billion single-use plastic cutlery items are used every year in Europe.
- An estimated 16 billion items are LANDFILLED every year from the food on-the-go sector in the UK*
*Lunch on-the-go accounts for 11 billion items (ref. 9) of which very little is recycled as contamination (boxed sandwiches, food boxes, crisps, snacks, napkin) PLUS 2.5 billion coffee cups (ref.10) every year (of which 99% not recycled) PLUS 2.5 billion plastic bottles landfilled every year (see plastic bottle facts and stats)
What’s next on the menu?
While the introduction of this ban is great news, and we certainly welcome it with open arms, there is still a long way to go.
We’ve been asking our government to step up for reuse, and pledge for legally binding reuse targets. We need a total shift away from single-use towards reuse and government facilitation to create a level playing field for businesses to transition to the circular economy.
We’re calling for change, and for governing bodies to adopt legally binding UK-wide cap and reduction strategy and reuse targets.
We’re calling for A BAN ON SINGLE-USE PACKAGING FOR EAT IN SETTINGS
We want single-use OFF the menu for good! Do you agree that there’s no need for single-use food and drink packaging to be served to customers who are eating-in restaurants, cafes and bars?
Plastic pollution is still one of the biggest environmental issues we face. So why are unnecessarily wasting single-use packaging when there are reusable cups, crockery and cutlery available instead. We’re calling on a ban. Will you join us?
7 steps businesses can take to turn the tide on plastic pollution
We’d like to see the foodservice industry work together to improve and evolve – rebuilding with reuse and reversing the trend towards single-use, disposable packaging.
We teamed up with our friends at Greenpeace, to encourage businesses to take some simple steps to reduce plastic pollution and help their customers access more sustainable options when it comes to eating out.
We know that reusables are perfectly safe to use and opting for reuse over single-use can also have a number of benefits for business, keeping costs down and customers happier.
Join the Refill Revolution
See what you can do to reduce your plastic footprint when it comes to take-away food and drink packaging…
#ChooseToReuse by carrying your reusable water bottle, coffee cup or lunch box and use the free Refill app to find out what you can fill up – you might be surprised! PLUS many businesses will even off you a discount for bringing your own contains – helping your wallet as well as the planet.