It’s been amazing to see tens of thousands of people around the country sign up to The Big Plastic Count. If you’re still in two minds about joining, here’s the lowdown on just how much impact you could have.

Together, we’re gathering evidence to push for proper action on plastic. We’ll be taking our findings to The Global Plastics Treaty and urging world-leaders to make laws that limit plastic production. But what would success actually look like?

Cutting Toxic Fumes

Plastic doesn’t just pollute our waterways, it’s burned in incinerators that release toxic fumes into our communities – most often in deprived neighbourhoods. This is bad for our health and for the climate (each tonne of incinerated hard plastic creates more than 2 tonnes of CO2!). But if The Global Plastics Treaty set limits on plastic production, there would simply be less plastic to burn.

Protecting Waste Pickers

When the UK isn’t burning plastic, it’s shipping it to countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey. This impacts not just the environment, but the lives of waste pickers who collect materials for processing and recycling. About 60% of all plastic recycled globally is thanks to these unsung heroes. Yet exploitation is rife, with waste pickers denied a living wage, enduring poor working conditions and subject to discrimination. A strong Global Plastics Treaty could improve the lives of these workers, creating safer jobs within the waste management industry that protect their rights.

Cleaning up our Oceans

We all know that plastic spells disaster for marine ecosystems. A truckload enters the ocean every minute and, with production increasing, that’s set to rise. But if we secure a strong Global Plastics Treaty, we can protect vital species from harm and at the same time, our health. Plastic has been found in our bloodstream and even in human placentas, so if we limit production, we stand to benefit just as much as our precious oceans.