UK to reach ‘plastic overshoot day’ in November, report finds

The UK will reach its ‘plastic overshoot day’, when the total amount of plastic waste outweighs the country’s ability to manage it, on 17 November 2023, according to a Swiss consultancy firm.

EA Earth Action published a new report on Plastic Overshoot Day this week, analysing the “global plastic waste management crisis”. The global ‘overshoot day’ is forecasted to take place on 28 July.

As outlined below, the 17 November date ranks the UK in ninth position, behind the likes of Australia, France and the USA, but above China, Italy Poland and Spain.

Of the 157 days of ‘overshoot’ across the globe, the UK contributes around 14 hours, around 0.4%.

Research

According to Earth Action, “mismanaged short life plastic waste in the United Kingdom is estimated to total more than 256,000 tonnes by the end of this year”.

More than 149,000 tonnes of short life plastic waste is also expected to be exported in 2023, the consultancy firm said.

The report specifically focuses on “short life plastic waste originating from solid waste management systems” and encompassing plastic packaging and single use plastics. This includes items such as plastic bottles and films. Textiles, long-lasting plastic products and industrial plastics are excluded from the study.

The UK’s microplastic breakdown also makes for difficult reading

Consumption

The average short-life plastic consumption per capita in the UK is 31.1kg compared to the global rate of 20.9kg, the group added.

People living in Iceland are the top generators of plastic waste, with a yearly consumption of 128.9 kg per person. This is 50 times higher than the yearly consumption per person in Bangladesh who consumes 2.59 kg.

The global average consumption of plastic per person per year is 20.9 kg, with a total worldwide consumption of 158,943,925 tons per year.

Legislation

The research has the UK classified as a “transactor” which are “wealthy countries that import and export waste usually for nearby countries”.

Sarah Perreard, co-CEO and stakeholder engagement lead at EA Earth Action, called for the UK to introduce more legislation to tackle the issue, including a deposit return scheme.

She said: “Plastic pollution is a global crisis, but every country must play their part. If the UK wants to show real leadership on this issue, it must prioritise significantly reducing its plastic consumption, implement effective reusable packaging schemes, and join the 13 European countries that have already introduced a functioning and effective deposit return scheme.”