‘Stop kidding ourselves’ on recycling, Keep Britain Tidy chief says

KBT’s ‘buy nothing new’ campaign will run throughout January and will encourage people to make “small changes to their buying habits, such as resisting purchases, buying preloved or finding innovative ways to reuse, repair or rehome things that might have been destined for the bin”.  

To promote the campaign, the charity reiterated the results of a survey it ran in October, where it highlighted that the public is “confusing recycling with waste prevention” (see letsrecycle.com story).

‘Last resort’

Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “We need to stop kidding ourselves that recycling is a solution – it’s a last resort.

“It’s time to connect the dots. Buying new things has an impact on the environment.

“To tackle the damage done to the planet by our excessive consumption, the focus needs to shift from mindlessly throwing things away to thinking about what we buy in the first place and what we do with things we no longer want or need.

“Fifty-eight per-cent of UK adults agreed they are concerned about the carbon footprint of their purchases, and so our award-winning Buy Nothing New Month campaign is the perfect time to stop and consider whether we really need something new.”

Survey

October’s YouGov survey commissioned by the charity found that 68% of UK adults “mistakenly believe recycling is the best thing they can do to reduce the environmental impact of the things they buy,” KBT said.

 The charity added that the results show  a further 85% of people believe that recycling is a form of waste prevention.

However, more than three quarters (76%) of UK adults in the YouGov survey agreed they are aware of things they can do, in addition to recycling, to reduce the environmental impact of the things they buy. 

Buy Nothing New Month is managed by Keep Britain Tidy and supported by its partner Olio, the local sharing app where people can find and share items with others living nearby. 

Tessa Clarke, chief executive and co-founder of Olio said: “We have more than enough ‘stuff’ in our local communities, which is why Olio is thrilled to support the Buy Nothing New campaign.

“We really hope this campaign will inspire millions more Brits to start sharing instead of shopping. It’s a great way to start the new year – by saving money, saving the planet, and supporting your local community.”