Research - awareness

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/10/theresa-may-proposes-plastic-free-supermarket-aisles-in-green-strategy

Theresa May proposes plastic-free supermarket aisles in green strategy

In 2018 Theresa May announced a plan to eliminate avoidable plastic waste within 25 years, as part of her promise that the UK would lead internationally on environmental matters.

The plastic bag levy of 5p has already been very successful in larger shops across the country, and due to this there has been an 86% drop in the use of single use plastic bags. Theresa May is considering upping the levy to 10p, as well as rolling out the 5p levy to smaller shops as well. Carrying on the idea of charging for single use plastics, the government are also considering bringing in a charge for single use takeaway plastic containers, such as styrofoam ones that cannot be recycled.

"We must reduce the demand for plastic, reduce the number of plastics in circulation and improve our recycling rates.” - this acknowledgement of our use of plastics is good, as we can not just improve on what we consume, but what we demand too.

However when the 25 year plan was shown to environmentalists, they still felt it was quite vague in some places. Overall though, the commitment from the environmental department to a 25 year plan to help the world is a good sign and shows that the problem of plastic pollution is finally getting the spotlight that it needs in order to overcome it.