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The Great British #PlasticsChallenge

This summer UK leaders and influencers are going back into schools to inspire young people to combat plastics waste by taking part in the Great British Plastics Challenge. Having launched on June 8 coinciding with World Oceans Day, the Great British Plastics Challenge is a national campaign in partnership Business in the Community and the Environment Agency. Over 30 leading figures will be going into schools across the UK to speak about the issue of plastic waste and what their organisation is doing about plastic pollution and their personal commitment to tackling the issue. These are influential figures who are shaping environmental attitudes in business, politics, culture and society who will take part in school events to help persuade students why they should join the #PlasticsChallenge Leaders from top UK brands and organisations have pledged their support, including, but not limited to:

  • Anglian Water
  • Fortnum & Mason
  • Iceland
  • John Lewis Partnership
  • Keep Britain Tidy
  • KPMG
  • Sainsbury’s
  • Thames Water
  • Unilever
  • Veolia
  • Yorkshire Water
  • Walgreens Boots Alliance
  • World Wildlife Fund
How to get involved  – 

Share and take part in the challenges below. You can use #PlasticsChallenge to share your progress on Twitter and Instagram. If you want to go the next level, you can ‘amp up’ your challenge by getting your school involved, influencing a business (like writing a letter)… and much more! Challenge One: Say no to the ‘big four’: Give up plastic shopping bags, disposable coffee cups, plastic straws and plastic bottles for at least 2 months. The hardest part of this challenge is breaking your habits, getting into the routine of using re-usable items will make this challenge a breeze! Challenge Two: Take action in the community: Take part in an organised beach or street clean up. You can organise one yourself or do so via our affiliated campaign partners. Surfers Against Sewage run community tidy-ups year round and can be found here. Don’t worry if you’re not by the sea, you can do this anywhere! Don’t forget to use #PlasticsChallenge to count towards this summer’s challenge. Take it a step further by getting your class involved or having your teacher register with Eco-Schools to keep Britain tidy, and earn your school or college a Green Flag! Challenge Three: Influence a local business Persuade a local business (café, restaurant, pub) to say no to single-use plastic straws. A short PDF created by BITC and EA will show you exactly how to go about doing this. What’s more, Surfers Against Sewage have a whole pack on to be a ‘Plastic Free Community Leader’ giving you a range of ways you and others can say no to plastic. More information on how to get involved can be found here! This will help you get more involved, as well as your  family, school or employer!

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