We want to Mass Unwrap the UK! Are you in?
Mass Unwrap is an awesome, fun and high impact action that shows how much plastic is used by supermarkets and puts pressure on them from community level, to change. They are a great way to visually show the sheer scale of plastic packaging. For example, did you know that 59 billion pieces of plastic packaging are distributed every year? That’s 112 thousand pieces every minute*
After the huge success of the 2018 Earth Day Mass Unwrap in Cornwall we are looking for communities across the whole of the UK to come together to leave unnecessary plastic packaging at the tills.
Supermarkets form a big part of our communities and the way that many people buy food. This non-confrontational and family friendly event offers a unique opportunity for us as consumers to be able to raise awareness of excess packaging and the need for change.
Several of our Plastic Free Communities have already held Mass Unwraps to support the work they are doing where they live to reduce the impact of single-use plastic. In North Devon recently 382 shoppers unwrapped a whopping 3,665 items of unnecessary plastic packaging, of which only ten percent was recyclable. That was just in a two-hour slot! Imagine how much they would have gathered in a day, a week, a year?
Rachel Yates Plastic Free Communities Project Officer at SAS said: “The recent Everyday Plastic Report revealed 295 BILLION pieces of plastic are thrown away every year. In the time it has taken you to read this article, 370 thousand items of plastic packaging will have been distributed. This is a great opportunity for everyone of all ages to join forces and send a clear and strong message that the way we use packaging needs to change, and faster.”
Between the 3rd and 10th March we are co-ordinating a series of Mass Unwraps. Here’s how you can get involved:
- As an organiser – set up your own Mass Unwrap event with our step by step guide. Email [email protected] to get your pack.
- As a shopper – shop as normal during your local Mass Unwrap event, pay and smile at the tills, then look for a volunteer who will help you remove unnecessary plastic packaging. Keep checking our map for your local events
For more info on Plastic Free Communities click here: www.plasticfree.org.uk
*Stats: Environmental Investigation Agency/Greenpeace ‘Checking Out on Plastics’ report
Plastic Free Communities
We’re creating the Plastic Free Community network to free where we live from single-use. Together we’re tackling avoidable single-use plastic, from the beach all the way back to the brands and businesses who create it. Wherever you live, whether you’re on shore or inland, urban or rural, high-tide or high-rise, we’re uniting communities in the fight against single-use plastics. It’s not about removing all plastic from our lives. It’s about kicking our addiction to avoidable single-use plastic, and changing the system that produces it. Join us and let’s free where we live from single-use, one plastic bottle at a time.
