World Environment Day #PledgeLessPlastic What environment day generally is and theme! Employer Forum started project

“Beat Plastic Pollution – If you can’t reuse it, refuse it” World Environment Day 2018 Tuesday 5th June 2018 Hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme The UN’s theme for 2018 is: “Beat Plastic Pollution – If you can’t reuse it, refuse it” "Break Up With Plastic" #PledgeLessPlastic Give overview of the event – Host country is India Play the video

If you can’t reuse it, refuse it “It’s pretty amazing that our society has reached a point where the effort necessary to extract oil from the ground, ship it to a refinery, turn it into plastic, shape it appropriately, truck it to a store, buy it and bring it home is considered to be less effort than what it takes to just wash the spoon when you’re done with it.” Source Unknown #PledgeLessPlastic Share some facts: and emphasise the amount of energy, fossil fuel and cost versus the actual use time Plastic Spoons and bottles take 450 years to decompose V the 30 seconds of use a tea spoon in someone's tea has By 2050 the plastic in the ocean will outweigh the fish For every 100m of British beach, there are over 200 plastic or polystyrene items

Plastic Facts – Source: United Nations #PledgeLessPlastic Source United Nations

So how do we beat plastic pollution? We need to break up with plastic! Plastic cutlery If you cant reuse it – REFUSE IT Plastic cotton buds Microbeads Examples of single-use plastics are: Other Problem Plastics Plastic bags Toothbrushes Plastic bottles Disposable razors Coffee cups (plastic lined) & lids Toy/plastic giveaways Straws Wrapped food packaging #PledgeLessPlastic Ask people what they could swap with? Or list more items?

The good news! Plastic Action! In 2018…. The Queen bans plastic cutlery in Buckingham Palace BBC announced single-use plastic ban by 2020 Increase in demand for glass milk bottles in the UK PG Tips going plastic free Scotland is banning straws and plastic stem cotton buds. #PledgeLessPlastic Lots of this is caused by the Blue Planet effect – as the TV series brought to our own homes the impact of plastic pollution

More good news! The UK launches a ban on microbeads Proposed deposit return scheme for drinks containers in the UK Retailers, coffee shops, businesses and local authorities in every major city and town across England will offer free refill stations for people to top-up their water bottles by 2021. #PledgeLessPlastic

The bad news! “A whole garbage truck of plastic is dumped into the ocean every day and NEVER breaks down” - Ellen McArthur Foundation “There is expected to be three times more plastic littering the ocean in 2025 than there was in 2015 if current trends continue, UK scientists have warned today – Transform #PledgeLessPlastic

More bad news…. “In the 1950s the world made about 2 million tonnes of plastic a year. Now that figure is 330 million tonnes a year – and it is set to treble again by 2050. It’s not enough to return a few plastic bottles, or even to pick up an old mattress on a beach” - Guardian, 2018 #PledgeLessPlastic

So what can we do? Download a tool kit from www.iema.net/wed18 Make a pledge using #PledgeLessPlastic on any social media platform (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) Reduce and REFUSE single-use plastic! Empower and engage others with your knowledge Support campaigns to ban production of single-use plastic. #PledgeLessPlastic Pledge to give up some or all plastic, there are different options available Also host an activity to promote world environment day Complete a case study on what you as an individual or company have done to reduce single use plastic

Scrap the rubbish excuses Each and everyone of us has a personal responsibility for the waste we produce and how we dispose of it. As well as Refusing, Reusing and Reducing our single-use plastic it is imperative that we ensure what plastic we do use, that can be recycled, makes it to the recycle bin and does not end up polluting our environment. The cost of cleaning up litter in the UK is phenomenal: “Nearly £1 billion a year for the UK tax payer” (source: Keep Britain Tidy) Common litter comes from: Household, public and business bin spill over – check yours and don’t overfill People in cars – take your rubbish home! Report litter bugs who can be fined £150+ #PledgeLessPlastic What else could we spend £800 million on Ask people what they think about people who litter

REFUSE REUSE REDUCE The waste hierarchy Single use plastics Choose reusable items REDUCE Plastic pollution #PledgeLessPlastic

Tips for living with less plastic – www.lessplastic.co.uk #PledgeLessPlastic

Make a positive difference “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make” - Dame Jane Goodall DBE #PledgeLessPlastic

In partnership with the Society for the Environment Join us today! In partnership with the Society for the Environment #PledgeLessPlastic