Households across the UK buying body wash have been issued a warning to make a change this year to help cut plastic waste in our oceans.
An estimated 35.8 million plastic bottles on average are used in the UK every single day, yet around 16 million of these aren't being recycled.
According to The Big Plastic Count 2024, UK households throw away about 1.7 billion pieces of plastic every week – with approximately 60 pieces per household. This is equivalent to 90 billion tonnes of waste per year.
Results from the 2024 report show that 58% of plastic waste in the UK is incinerated, 14% is exported, 11% goes to landfill and just 17% is recycled.
Cleaning and toiletry products were among the biggest contributors to plastic waste, accounting for 399,230 pieces last year, highlighting that changes need to be made.
The Big Plastic Count said: “The UK produces more plastic waste per person than almost any other nation. Recycling alone won't fix the problem. Even when plastic gets recycled, it ultimately ends up in the same place as unrecycled plastic. Plastic quickly degrades during recycling and can only be re-processed once or twice before it's landfilled, exported or incinerated.
“Thanks to tens of thousands of people who counted their plastic waste, the evidence is beyond doubt: the only way to tackle household plastic waste is to cut it at the source.”
One way households can help is by making a change to their toiletry-buying habits, as these products are among the worst culprits for plastic waste.
Products like body wash and shower gels are items that are used by millions of households daily and are typically sold in plastic bottles, making it a major contributor to the problem.
While these bottles can be recycled, the Zero Waste Delivery Company says only 45% of our recycling actually gets turned into new products, with the majority still winding up in our oceans, landfill or being incinerated – all of which are damaging to the environment.
As such, the firm says recycling isn't enough to reduce the damage to the environment and suggests households instead opt to buy refill body washes and shower gels instead which is much more sustainable.
The firm offers a body wash home delivery refill service so that when you're nearing the end of your supply, you can book a slot and it will come and refill it for you – avoiding the need to throw away single-use plastic packaging.
The company says: “Single-use plastic is used for packaging in many everyday products, including shampoo, soap, washing up liquids, makeup and food. Now more than ever we need to support and help the environment and one way to do that is shop more sustainably and create zero waste.
“Despite efforts to recycle, a staggering amount of single-use plastic ends up in the oceans and as a result, poisons our planet as well as emitting carbon when manufactured. The world is facing a climate emergency and a plastic pollution disaster. We need to take steps to become more eco-friendly in the way that we live and shop.
“Our zero waste delivery service removes the hassle of refilling yourself with our online zero waste refill shop which is both convenient and beneficial. You can choose between refills in pre-filled reusable bottles or our refill from the van service. We deliver straight to your door in our zero-emission full electric vans.
“We have a vast selection of zero waste refill products, including hand wash, eco shower gel, household cleaning products, laundry, hair care, dish washing, toilet roll, foods and luxury items such as candles. All of your essentials can be refilled, so you're helping our environment, not buying new plastic containers and saving money on packaging.”