2021 saw the UK Government take its biggest steps towards a more sustainable future.
In November, the Environment Act was made Law, with legislation to improve air and water quality, increase recycling, tackle waste and improve the natural environment.
One of the biggest waste issues currently surrounds single use plastics, with reports from WARP finding that plastic packaging in the UK accounts for nearly 70% of all plastic waste, generating more than 2 million metric tonnes.
Refill stores such as ‘Store,’ in Brighton, are trying to help limit the impact of single use plastics by selling non packaged goods and requiring customers to use their own containers.
Owner, Heather Banks, said: “we use companies that are a circular economy, so it all goes round, nothing goes to waste, nothings recycled, it’s all reused, so that benefit is that you’re not creating more plastic.”
With the United Kingdom having some of the highest levels of waste in the world, Ryan Hudson, co-founder of Ethicul, found 3 main barriers to prevent people from living more sustainably.
He said: ‘it’s down to price, sometimes it’s more expensive to shop sustainably, secondly knowledge, people don’t know what and why it is sustainable […] and finally its around convenience.”
Alicia McDermott
