Waste

The UK’s plastic waste export system is fundamentally failing and, without immediate political intervention, the environmental, social and economic consequences will only deepen.

Each year, approximately 83 mio tonnes of textile waste are produced globally – 65% of which are made from fossil-fuel derived synthetic fibres. This resource provides an accessible overview of how textile waste affects people and the environment in Africa. It also explores the global systems driving the crisis and outlines practical steps toward lasting, equitable solutions.

Despite being one of the most pervasive materials on the planet, plastic and its impact on human health remain poorly understood. Yet exposure to plastic is expanding into new areas of the environment and food chain as existing plastic products fragment into smaller particles and concentrate toxic chemicals. As plastic production increases, this exposure will only grow.

In 2022, The Big Plastic Count was the biggest investigation into UK household plastic waste. It showed that almost 100 billion pieces of plastic are thrown away in the UK each year, with hardly any of it recycled. With your help, we’ll gather more, game-changing evidence that will push the government to take bold action on plastic.

This report critically examines the European Commission’s JRC study on plastic recycling technologies, exposing major methodological flaws that favour chemical recycling. It challenges the credibility of industry-backed data and highlights the true environmental costs of solvent- and pyrolysis-based methods. It also provides clear recommendations for policymakers.

The report looks into the sachet economy in the Philippines that continues to add to and worsen the growing plastics pollution problem, showing how the big businesses corrupted Filipino’s tingi culture. It explores the public attitude towards plastic pollution and presents new findings and recommendations for companies and policymakers.

In response to the plastic crisis, consumer goods companies and the petrochemical industry have supported and promoted countless miraculous-sounding technologies, pushing back on their bad reputations as major plastic polluters. CreaSolv3, Unilever Indonesia's hailed flagship project on this front, spectacularly failed and was secretly shuttered two years later.

The Plastic Tool draws attention to plastic and shows the various aspects of plastic madness from production to landfill. It can be used to pass on knowledge about harmful substancesin plastic products and how to avoid plastic to protect our emvironment and health.