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00:00I've spent the year collecting the plastic left behind from my groceries.
00:02Here's what I've ended up with.
00:10We're going to have a look through this pile
00:12and see what's in there and think about where it might end up.
00:15Now a lot of it will be recyclable soft plastics of this variety.
00:18The sort you'll find wrapping veg, some bread, some crisp packets.
00:22Often the film on meat packaging is soft plastic.
00:25Now other bits in there can't be recycled and will have to go in the bin.
00:30This pile here, none of this is recyclable.
00:33There's no environmentally friendly next step for any of this.
00:35Some of it will go to landfill where it will take varying lengths of time to decompose.
00:40Most of it will be burned along with other household waste as fuel for the power grid.
00:43About half of UK household waste is burned these days.
00:46About 7% go to landfill, the rest is recycled.
00:49For food waste, incineration is considered less polluting than landfill
00:53because it prevents the release of methane that would occur if it were left to rot.
00:57But with plastic, which is mostly made from fossil fuels,
01:00burning it releases 175 times more CO2 than if it were left to decompose.
01:06Now plastic has become an increasing proportion of what is sent to the incinerator
01:09and a recent investigation by the BBC found that burning waste was now Britain's
01:13most polluting way of producing power since the last coal-planted ship.
01:17And well this is my individual contribution to that.
01:20Now this pile is for recycling.
01:24Where might it end up?
01:25As it stands, I can only recycle this if I go to a big supermarket
01:28where they have soft plastics recycling points.
01:31This was a scheme supermarkets introduced in 2021
01:34and the data isn't there to show how successful this has been in terms of volume.
01:39Though polling has found that awareness of the schemes has risen.
01:42By 2027, the government is aiming to introduce a home collection service
01:45for soft plastics recycling.
01:47We can't say with confidence that we know where this is going to end up.
01:49A recent investigation into supermarket schemes by Everyday Plastics
01:53placed tracking devices in a few dozen packages
01:56that were disposed of in supermarket bins.
01:58Of the 17 packages that they successfully tracked to their end destination,
02:0212 were incinerated.
02:03Soft plastics can be difficult to recycle.
02:06They can easily be contaminated.
02:08This packet of coriander, there's little bits of leaves left on it.
02:15That can't be recycled.
02:17That will go to be burned.
02:18For the bits that can be recycled, they can be reused
02:21but we can't maintain their structural integrity enough
02:24to use them for the same purpose again.
02:26They could be turned into bin bags or they could be turned into plastic wood.
02:30Now, we talk about a circular economy.
02:32If this ends up being turned into bin bags,
02:35that'll be one reuse and then it'll be disposed of.
02:38It's already fallen out of the circle.
02:39But a recent report by Everyday Plastics
02:41found the focus on recycling this material
02:44may be diverting attention away from efforts to reduce the amount produced.
02:47And this reflects something major that happened recently
02:50in the global conversation about plastics.
02:52Recently, there was a failed attempt to reach an international agreement
02:55on bringing plastic production down.
02:57There was a big UN conference following two years of negotiations
03:01but it fell through.
03:02On one side, there's about 100 countries,
03:05many of those most vulnerable to climate change,
03:07who want limits on production.
03:08And on the other side, there's Saudi Arabia
03:10and several other countries which produce the raw materials for plastics
03:14and they argue against limits on production
03:16and say we just need better waste management.
03:18Now, looking at my pile,
03:21this is all waste that, as best as it can be managed,
03:25it's going to be burned,
03:26perhaps some of it will go to the landfill.
03:28This can be recycled,
03:31though we aren't sure where it will end up.
03:33And even if it is recycled,
03:35it can't be turned back into food packaging.
03:37So whatever happens next,
03:40next year when I eat the equivalent amount,
03:42all of the plastic wrapping that food will have to be newly produced.
03:45Supermarkets are engaging with efforts to reduce the amount produced.
03:49WRAP, an NGO which works with businesses on reducing waste,
03:53has made a recommendation for all sorts of produce
03:55that could be sold without plastic packaging
03:57and we're seeing some movement on this.
03:58The EU is moving faster than Britain
04:00and is banning packaging for uncut veg by 2013.
04:03Now, you talk to a supermarket
04:05and they'll tell you that fruit and veg wrapping
04:07gives the produce a longer shelf life
04:08and reduces the chance it will go to waste.
04:11WRAP found that's not quite right
04:13and most produce will last as long with or without plastic.
04:16What's recommended is putting things in the fridge.
04:18Even so, some plastic packaging is considered essential
04:22and it's said to be essential
04:23because it plays a role in reducing food waste.
04:25And that's not a point to take lightly.
04:27Greenhouse gas emissions are the biggest threat the planet faces
04:30and food waste is one of the biggest drivers of greenhouse gas emissions.
04:33But the essential nature of so much plastic packaging
04:36comes from how long the product takes to reach its final destination.
04:39We spoke to an expert at WRAP
04:40who gave the example of a leg of lamb coming from New Zealand
04:44which needs plastic packaging
04:45in order to last long enough to reach a supermarket in the UK.
04:48So there's a supply chain that's in place
04:50and plastic plays a part in that.
04:52Though there is a movement for eating more locally and seasonally
04:56to reduce the emissions and packaging needed
04:58for transporting food over long distances
05:00and preserving it for long periods of time.
05:02So how much of this is necessary?
05:04And how much of that is necessary
05:06because of the way that we accept
05:08that food production and supply must work
05:10within the bounds of our society?
05:12Does essential just mean that it's very difficult
05:14to see how you move away from using it?