That鈥檚 one of the main findings from on , a nationwide citizen science campaign organised by social enterprise Everyday Plastic in collaboration with environmental campaign charity Greenpeace. Involving more than 160,000 UK households, it鈥檚 one of the largest efforts ever to track household plastic waste in the world.
Our analysis combined the Big Plastic Count data with an attitude survey of more than 8,000 plastic count respondents and an experiment on public engagement. It showed that taking part in 鈥渃itizen science鈥, research carried out with the public rather than on the public, can do much more than generate data. It can bring a sense of urgency to an environmental problem, change behaviour, and even mobilise political action.
People tend to overestimate the positive . Many participants began the project confident they were already making environmentally friendly choices, for example buying recyclable packaging. But when they actually counted their weekly plastic waste, the results told a different story.
The typical household generated 20-30 items of plastic in just one week, mostly soft plastics such as film lids, crisp packets and food wrappers. These items, despite often carrying positive environmental messages, are impossible to reuse or refill, and are .
This gap between perception and reality, what we call 鈥減lastic blindness鈥, reveals a crucial barrier to tackling plastic pollution. People simply don鈥檛 see how much plastic they use or misunderstand, or perhaps are misled as to what happens to it after disposal.
This blindness was especially pronounced among online shoppers, who tended to underestimate their plastic consumption the most. Having packaging arrive neatly at the door seems to obscure the sheer volume of waste produced in the process. This suggests the need for more visible waste information 鈥 and better ways to help consumers choose lower waste options.
When we see it, we care more
The act of counting plastic waste had a powerful psychological effect. Participants who tracked their own waste reported feeling more aware and more concerned about the plastic waste they were generating 鈥 and more open to alternatives such as refill and reuse systems.
These models, where customers use their own containers or borrow returnable ones, are widely seen as essential to a circular economy. Yet their success depends, , on public understanding of why recycling and other waste management strategies are not enough to tackle plastic pollution.
By making the invisible visible, citizen science can help close that understanding gap. Participants who saw their plastic waste laid out in front of them were far more likely to express concern about pollution and to support stronger policies on plastic reduction.
Citizen science can spark action
We found that awareness translated into political engagement. Participation in the Big Plastic Count coincided with a significant increase in signatures on a launched at the same time, calling for stronger action in the ongoing global plastics treaty negotiations.
This suggests that citizen science isn鈥檛 just a way to collect data. It can also mobilise public support for policy change. When people see clear evidence of a problem that they have limited control over, they鈥檙e more motivated to demand systemic solutions.
Our findings add to growing evidence that recycling alone cannot solve the plastic problem. In the UK, the study showed that only around 17% of household plastic waste is actually recycled, while most ends up being incinerated, exported or put into landfill.
Policies that focus solely on end-of-life solutions ignore the need to reduce plastic production at its source. That鈥檚 why policy must look upstream. The global plastics treaty, a United Nations initiative aiming to reduce plastic pollution worldwide, could commit countries to legally binding limits on virgin plastic production and enforce stronger requirements for reuse and refill systems.
The results of the Big Plastic Count show that when people are given the opportunity to see their own contribution to the plastic problem, they want to see change 鈥 and they expect policymakers to lead it.
Quite simply, we can鈥檛 fix what we can鈥檛 see. Plastic pollution is often hidden in plain sight 鈥 behind positive 鈥渆co鈥 or 鈥渞ecyclable鈥 labels, messages such as adverts normalising single-use plastic use, within supply chains and under the convenience of online shopping.
Citizen science initiatives such as the Big Plastic Count help to lift that blindfold, empowering citizens not just to count plastic, but to count in the movement for change.
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