British households fail to recycle a 'staggering' 16 million plastic bottles a day

clock • 3 min read

Almost half of all plastic bottles used in the home end up in landfill sites, research shows, with huge impacts on marine life

British households are failing to recycle as many as 16m plastic bottles every day - a "staggering" number and nearly half the total of more than 35m which are used and discarded daily - according to new...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Recycling

'Plastics firms must move now or miss out': Study uncovers opportunities in chemical recycling
Recycling

'Plastics firms must move now or miss out': Study uncovers opportunities in chemical recycling

Report by Bain & Company calls on plastic firms to adapt quickly to secure leadership positions as chemical recycling market ramps up

Amber Rolt
clock 27 May 2025 • 4 min read
Viridor's Edita Adamcikova: 'Basing your net zero strategy on clear, science-based targets is fundamental'
Recycling

Viridor's Edita Adamcikova: 'Basing your net zero strategy on clear, science-based targets is fundamental'

Edita Adamcikova, ESG director at Viridor, the UK's largest operator of energy from waste facilities, unpacks the business, political, and societal complexities of building a net zero strategy ahead of the 2025 UK Green Business Awards

BusinessGreen staff
BusinessGreen staff
clock 21 May 2025 • 7 min read
M&S to trial recyclable, fibre-based microwave meal trays in UK first
Recycling

M&S to trial recyclable, fibre-based microwave meal trays in UK first

FSC-certified packaging can be recycled alongside paper and card at home, and is suitable for cooking in both microwaves and standard ovens

Michael Holder
Michael Holder
clock 19 May 2025 • 2 min read