Environment campaigners Plastic Planet have called for a ban on household bins by 2030 to encourage re-use.
Co-founder Sian Sutherland says improvements to recycling collection rates cover-up “continued failure” to recycle waste, arguing that a “waste revolution” is needed where bins are banned in favour of a reuse model.
A survey of 2,000 adults found 74% of those want the UK government to put policies in place that force industry to create products and packaging that can be reused. It also found that 76% of respondents would return their packaging to shops if it was easier to do so.
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In an opinion piece, Sutherland said objects are thrown away “into one of three or more bins and never think about it again, trusting it will have a good end.
“But there are countless reports of UK waste that we think will be recycled actually being shipped off to faraway lands or just incinerated, all producing toxic chemicals that pollute our planet and poison our bodies,” she added.
“The black bin bag should be seen as our symbol of shame: the embodiment of our take, make and throwaway culture. I have come to a conclusion many people won’t like: it’s time to ban the bin. government could put industry on notice that there will be no more ‘general waste’ collections at all by 2030.
“We should only collect stuff that is actually going to be recycled in the UK – food waste and some materials, but all other non-recyclable items would have to be produced on a reuse model.”
