UK bins 1.6 billion pieces of plastic packaging a week, says survey

Mr Webb says reducing production, rather than just increasing recycling, is key to tackling the problem.

“The Big Plastic Count has again shown that plastic production is out of control, with billions of pieces of plastic being thrown away every week,” he said.

“Recycling cannot keep up with the volume being produced, and we’re incinerating more than ever. We can’t burn our way out of this.”

Of the plastic waste counted, 82% came from food and drink packaging – the most common type of which was from fruit and vegetables.

This type of packaging is made from soft film plastic, which is difficult to recycle on a large scale in the UK, and most ends up being incinerated.

One of main problems with plastic is that most of it isn’t biodegradable.

That means it doesn’t break down in the environment like paper or food, so instead it can hang around for hundreds of years, which causes plastic pollution.

This is when plastic waste ends up in the environment, and it can damage oceans, rivers, lakes and beaches.