Most plastic in the UK is not recycled, adding to the concerning extent of global plastic pollution, research has shown.
Only 29 per cent of the estimated 100 billion items of plastic waste produced by households a year are recycled and environmental group Greenpeace has demanded a cap on plastic production.
In the UK, activists have generally been successful in raising the issue of recycling to a receptive public, but efforts are still falling short. Greenpeace said government action is the best way to tackle the problem.
“This is a jaw-dropping amount of plastic waste and should give ministers pause for thought,” said Greenpeace plastics campaigner Chris Thorne.
“Just 12 per cent of all this plastic is likely to actually end up being recycled in the UK, despite the public’s alarm about the issue and efforts to recycle.
“The rest becomes pollution, whether through landfilling, incineration or export to countries all around the world, gradually contaminating everything — our water, our food, even the air we breathe.”
About 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging are estimated to be thrown away by UK households every year, Greenpeace found.
The organisation worked with the Big Plastic Count campaign and Everyday Plastic to track how much plastic is recycled annually.
For one week in May, about 100,000 households — 250,000 people — across the UK counted their plastic packaging waste and sent their results to Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic as part of The Big Plastic Count.
Figures show that, on average, each household threw away 66 pieces of plastic packaging in a week, which amounts to an estimated 3,432 pieces when applied over a year.
Of the plastic items recorded, 83 per cent was from food and drink packaging waste, with the most common item being produce packaging.
The extrapolated data suggest UK homes produce 96.6 billion pieces of plastic packaging waste a year, with only 12 per cent being recycled in the UK.
A large part of the UK’s household plastic waste (17 per cent) is shipped overseas while 12 per cent is recycled at home. Almost half (46 per cent) of the UK’s household plastic waste is incinerated while 25 per cent is buried in landfill.
“The only solution is to turn off the plastic tap, through the government introducing a legally binding target for a 50 per cent reduction in single-use plastic by 2025,” Mr Thorne said.
“Pretending we can sort this with recycling is just industry greenwash. We’re creating a hundred billion bits of waste plastic a year and recycling is hardly making a dent.”
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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More on Quran memorisation:
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
