All language subtitles for War.On.Plastic.With.Hugh.And.Anita.S01E03.Episode.3.720p.iP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-SOIL.[eng]

1.8 million tonnes of plastic
are being made in the UK

and a third of it is
being made right here.

Every three seconds, you're bagging
up 25 kilos of plastic.

On this bagging unit.
There's another one behind us.

Billions and billions and billions

of tiny pellets of plastic

leaving this factory -
today, tomorrow, every single day.

Where are they going to end up?

So far, in our war on plastic,
Anita and I have challenged

a street to ditch
their single use plastic.

So, are you up for it?

ALL: Yes!

And she's taken
their frustrations...

£1.66.

Oh, God. I spent 69p.

..to the companies who
are churning it out.

Hi.

We will make sure we've
got a competitive price.

What does "competitive" mean?

It's like some dystopian nightmare.

I've been finding out how we
can fix our recycling system.

Plastic waste that I found
in Malaysia from the UK.

Yes, that's terrible.

And now I want to
know if big business

is ready to reduce the pile.

The absolute amount
of plastic could double.

Anita joins two young campaigners

tackling plastic giveaway toys.

We want to speak to the
sustainability department.

They can't, I'm afraid.

We can't speak to anybody?
I'll talk to you outside.

And as our street
experiment reaches its climax...

..we both discover how much we can
all do to kick our plastic habit.

So, shall we do the results?
Shall we do the count?

Here it comes...

ANITA: Hugh and I kicked off the
experiment with the residents

of 22 houses on a street in East
Bristol three months ago.

Here's some baskets
for you all, get going.

We counted all their
single use plastic -

the packaging that contains
our everyday essentials

for just a few days or weeks
before we throw it away.

From the total, we estimated
the amount in our homes

across the whole country.

19.5 billion...

..bits of single use plastic

in houses up and
down the country today.

That's not cool.

The Streets have been trying to
reduce the amounts of this plastic

in their lives,

tackling it in the kitchen...

Go on, press it. Hey!
Oops, there you go.

..and in the bathroom.

That whole side of the bath was
covered in plastic bottles.

Stuff that we weren't
really using, as well.

Now, in the final
month of the experiment,

the street are looking at how
plastic is ingrained in family life.

At least two thirds of
toys are made from plastic -

taking advantage of it
being a colourful, durable

and cheap material.

Whoo!

This is you, Ma.

What does it do?

Since starting the experiment,
Jackson's mum Carlene

has been more aware of the number

of plastic toys he no longer uses.

It's unavoidable, I suppose,
when you've got family members

who just buy stuff.

It can be a little bit frustrating
when you see how much toys he has.

You've got two of
those, haven't you? Yeah.

We're going to make a box of toys
that you don't play with,

is that OK? Yeah. Right.

So, do you want to help Mummy
choose your toys up upstairs?

No.

Most of his toys up here,
he doesn't play with.

Over a quarter of parents
admit to throwing away toys

that are in
perfect working order.

But Carlene has a different plan.

Bye-bye, Mr Potato Head.

Say, "See you later, mate."

See you later, mate.

In the box.

Bye!

He had a little bit
of a Despicable Me moment.

These are all McDonald's. Shall
we get rid of these toys? Yeah.

You don't want to keep them? No.

Shall we give that away, Jackson,

or do you want to keep
that one keep back?

Keep that one. Keep your car?

Yeah. Beep-beep!

Carlene's arranged to meet
up with a group of friends

for a toy swap.

Hi, Jackson! Hi, Carlene!

You know I'm going
to leave with nothing.

Fuzzy felt faces?!

I love this.

That's so cute. I might have a
little peruse for my nephew.

It's a way of clearing
out our house,

cutting down the amount of plastic
that we would normally buy.

It's quite a nice
get-together as well.

A win-win situation for everyone.
Yeah. She loves Peppa Pig!

Plastic's durability means
that toys can last a long time

and many of Jackson's are
already finding a new home.

They've got such a short
window of using these things,

but they're really useful
when they're at that stage. Yeah.

Oh, look at that!

But are all toys
a good use of plastic?

So, these were
like McDonald's ones.

I don't think so. No.

In our house, they
kind of end up in pieces

and then end up in the
bin quite quickly, so...

..we don't need any more plastic
like that. Are you sure?

OK. That's fine.

Back they go. Not
going to be offended.

Every year, hundreds of millions
of toys are given away in the UK

to help sell products.

They're hidden in chocolates...

Nine times out of ten, with the
toys, you open it up, make it

and then, within about 30
seconds, they break anyway.

..pasted to the front
of kids' magazines...

That...

..is going to be for you
to catch your little bug.

Oh. Uh-oh.

It's been open about 30 seconds.

Rocky managed to break it.

..and dished out free
with fast food meals.

How long does he play with the toys
for?

Not very long. We usually chuck them
in the bin by the end of the day.

What have you got there? Happy Meal!

Come on, let's have a look.

Who is this? He doesn't know.

Did you play with them
for very long? No. No.

How long? Five minutes.

Five minutes?! Yeah.

So, if these giveaway toys

aren't wanted enough by
parents or kids to be passed on,

what are we supposed
to do with them?

To find out, I've come to a
facility that sorts the recycling

for part of East London

to meet the CEO of the Recycling
Association, Simon Ellin.

The big problem here,
you can see there, toys -

because if they come through in
the household waste to a facility

like this, which is not
designed to separate toys,

they're a contaminant.

Simon's gathered
together a pile of toys

that have been picked out
of this recycling stream

over the last 24 hours.

There we go. What?!

That's so sad.

And when we take a closer
look through the pile...

Look at that, McDonald's.

There's another one.

..I'm struck by just how many
of them are giveaway toys.

Look at that!
That's not even been opened.

It's such a throwaway culture,
isn't it? What's this one?

That's Burger King.

That's a Burger King one, is it?
That's a Burger King one.

It's not just McDonald's, is it?

You know, we found all
sorts of other toys.

You get the Kinder eggs, you know.
You get it on your magazines.

They're by no means
the only offender

but they are, in my
experience, the biggest offender.

Clearly many kids and parents think
they're doing the right thing

by putting their giveaway
toys in the recycling.

I wonder what McDonald's
say about them.

All right. So, are
McDonald's toys recyclable?

It says, "Can Happy Meal
toys be recycled?

"Yes, they can."

That's the first thing it says here.

Yeah. Can they?

Sorry, McDonald's,
I don't agree with you.

You're saying, "Yes, they are."

Technically, these
would be recyclable

but there's so many
different types of polymers,

polymers that are
bonded together,

a tiny, tiny proportion
are ever going to get recycled

because lots of manufacturers
will say it's recyclable.

In theory, it is. In practice,
it's just not going to happen.

This has really shocked me,
actually, Simon, really.

McDonald's add that their toys
with electronic components

can be put in a designated
electronics recycling bin.

But even if they reach one of these
at a local authority centre,

it's rarely economically
viable to actually recycle them,

and the non-electronic
toys contain mixed plastic

so they're also most likely to end
up being incinerated or in landfill.

Would you believe now McDonald's
are the biggest distributors

of toys in the world?

No, they're not?!

1.4 billion toys
with their Happy Meals.

Simon, you've just blown my mind.
Yeah.

McDonald's?! McDonald's.

They've got to take the lead
on this and they've got to say...

The solution is in the
hands of the producer.

Where are they going
to end up? In landfill?

Being burnt?

They're just churning them out.

Churning out billions of the things,

and kids aren't even opening
the blooming packets.

It's madness!

When I write to McDonald's
about the issue,

they reply insisting that,

when families are finished
playing with them,

many of the toys can be recycled
in local authority sites

where the appropriate
facilities are available.

It's not just the recycling industry

that feel that giveaway
toys are a problem.

I've read an article

about two girls who are campaigning

against single use plastic toys.

I was so impressed

that I've come all the
way down to Southampton

specifically to meet them,

and what will surprise you,
as it did me...

..is their ages.

Hi. Hello, girls. Hello.
How are you doing?

Hi, there. Hello. Hi.

You must be...

At nine and seven years old,
Ella and Caitlin

are the youngest
campaigners I've ever met.

Come on, then.

Shall we sit down? Yeah.

So, girls, tell me
what you've been up to.

So, we've been doing a
plastic petition thing

against, like,
Burger King and McDonald's

using their plastic
toys in kids meals...

..and we've got quite
a few signatures.

I thought kids loved toys.

What's the problem with these toys?

Dangerous plastic.

It pollutes the world

when you drop it on the floor

and it goes to the sea
and hurts the fishes.

Shall we have a look at
the petition? Yeah. OK.

How many signatures have you got?

BOTH: 163,572.

What?!

That's incredible.

Yes.

You've definitely
tapped into something.

So, what are you going to do next?

Probably write a letter. Good idea.

Who would you write a letter to?
McDonald's. And Burger King,

and ask to, like, meet up or
tell them about the petition,

or something like that.

I think that's a really good idea.
OK. I'll go and get some paper.

"To McDonald's...

"..we're writing to
tell you we think...

"..your toys are bad
for the environment..."

"..and we think you should stop
selling them with your kids meals.

"We would like to meet you to
discuss it, from Ella and Caitlin."

So, we're ready? We're going
to send one to Burger King.

one to McDonald's. Yep.
See what happens. Yeah.

Imagine if I came back and
said, "We'd like to meet you."

Can I come with you?

Yeah. Yeah?

OK. Excellent.

All we need now is a stamp

and to close the envelopes.

I'll be very interested to hear

how Burger King and McDonald's reply

to these two young campaigners.

HUGH: For months now,
I've been investigating

what happens to single use plastics

after we've finished with them,

and I've discovered that
our recycling system

needs an urgent overhaul.

In Malaysia, I was
shocked to discover

where some of it has been ending up.

Oh, Sainsbury's.

Sainsbury's.

Sainsbury's.

M&S Yorkshire puddings.

Like many developed countries,

we've been sending most of our
plastic for recycling abroad

because we just don't have the
capacity to deal with it at home.

Looks to me like the whole
of this wall is from the UK.

Stop the exporting of your
plastic waste to our country.

Why should our waste end up here
for you guys to deal with? Yes.

How have we arrived at this madness?

Our love affair with
plastic took off in the 1950s.

Here it is, the most amazing
food wrap ever developed.

Limited only by the
imagination of the minds of men.

Over just a few decades,

it found its way into
every part of our home.

And as the production
of plastics boomed...

The age of plastics can certainly
be described as, "Right now."

..its low cost and
promise of convenience

meant we could treat it
more and more expendably.

Being disposable,

there are no empties to collect.

Saran-Wrap is a product
of the Dow Chemical Company.

What's often called "virgin plastic"
is made from oil and gas

by a handful of large
petrochemical companies.

Now that we're aware of the
issue of plastic pollution,

it seems reasonable to expect

we might be slowing down the rate

that we're producing the stuff.

So, what are the plastic
industry's plans for the future?

I've just been sent a graph

which shows they're not planning
to slow down any time soon.

I mean, the graph
is going like that.

A leading environmental scientist
at the University of California

has pulled together the global data

on plastic production

and it reveals that the rate of
increase is ramping up.

From the beginning
of this century to now,

plastic production has doubled,
from 200 million tonnes per year

to passing 400 million tonnes,

and it's accelerating

so that it's due to double again,

passing the 800 million tonnes
a year mark by about 2040.

The graph was sent to
me by the president

of the Center for
International Environmental Law

Carroll Muffett.

So, the plastics industry

has plans for massive expansion.

What is driving that?

In a word, the fracking boom.

Fracking for shale gas has made
natural gas really, really cheap

and, as a result, it's made
the plastics feedstocks

really, really cheap,

and that is driving a massive
expansion in the infrastructure

to make new plastics.

So, fracking for shale gas
is making plastics cheaper?

Over the next few years, we
will see more than 200 billion

in new investments for plastics
and petrochemicals.

Wow, this is a lot to take on board.

I just had no idea what
the scale of this issue is.

It was nice talking with you.

If shale gas is behind a new
plastics boom in the US,

what's happening here in the UK?

Carroll suggests I look
up a company called Ineos.

Ineos, the word
for chemicals.

Jim Radcliffe, a profile by...

Jim Radcliffe?! I've
heard of Jim Radcliffe!

Jim Radcliffe owns Ineos.

Jim Radcliffe is
Britain's richest man.

"Many of the things
you used during the day

"that are made using chemicals,
we've had a hand in,"

he says with a smile.

Plastics, Radcliffe.

OK, here we go.

"Dear Sir Jim..."

20% of Ineos' plastic business

is making plastic packaging.

And just one of their facilities

is responsible for a third of
the 1.8 million tonnes of plastic

produced in the UK every year,

so I'm delighted when they say
they're happy for me to visit

that site at
Grangemouth in Scotland.

I know, from experience,
that, when you get invited in

by a big company like this, there's
always a story they want to tell.

I'm expecting it to be pretty slick.

A big, shiny, plastic future
for us all to be proud of,

but I've also got some
questions about that future,

and tomorrow I'm allowed in to
see it all close up for myself.

Bright and early, I meet one
of Ineos' directors, Tom Crotty...

Good morning to you.
Hugh, welcome to Grangemouth.

Thank you very much.

..and I can't help but notice
an impressive model ship.

These Ineos boats...

This is a scale model of one of our
12 dragon ships, made in China,

all designed to bring gas
from the United States

into Europe. Right to the site here?

Yes, absolutely to the site.

They come all the way up the
Firth of Forth.

There isn't one in
today but this is a video

of when we actually
had the first one coming in.

There's the tug in front of it.

Here it comes under the
iconic Forth Bridge.

These are coming in all the time.

It's a virtual pipeline, constantly
flowing gas from America.

Extraordinary.

So, cheap American shale gas

is already flowing
directly to our shores.

Ineos have spent
1 billion on these ships

to bring in the very resource

that's super charging plastics
production in the States.

As Tom takes me into the facility...

..he explains that Ineos have spent
another half a billion dollars

on upgrading it to
receive the imported gas.

This includes building
Europe's largest ethane tank,

where the gas is stored

before being fed to the
heart of the process.

This is the cracker.

We take the ethane gas, heat it
up to about a thousand degrees

and that cracks it
into smaller molecules -

and those molecules can then
be compressed and cooled down

into primarily ethylene.

And this block beyond,
is that another cracker?

When we didn't have enough gas,

when we were just relying
on the North Sea,

Train 2 was
closed down, mothballed,

and we just ran this one.

Since we've had the ethane
coming in from America,

we can now run both.

You've doubled your production

by being able to switch
on the second train.

We are actually in the process
of adding more furnace capacity.

So there is room for some
more growth? There is still room.

What are your power requirements
to keep this plant running?

To keep the whole site running,

we'd be using the same sort of
power as, say, three major
Scottish cities -

Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Combined? Combined, yeah.

That's the amount of electricity
being used here? Yes.

And that's before you even
get to the gas that's... Correct.

..creating the thousand degrees
to do the cracking?

That's absolutely right.

99% of all plastic is made
from oil and gas,

but making it also burns
vast amounts of fossil fuels.

If plastics production continues
to grow as predicted, by 2050

it'll be responsible for 15%
of global carbon emissions.

So, this is the end of the process
effectively, Hugh.

The ethylene has now been formed
into long chains of molecules,

becoming the solid
polymer we call plastic.

This is still quite warm.

So this is polyethylene?
That is polyethylene,

the most commonly
used plastic in the world.

It's quite mesmerising,

just watching these bags fill up
so quickly.

I think you're filling one
every three seconds.

That sounds about right.

That's phenomenal.

Every three seconds, you're bagging
up 25 kilos of plastic?

On this bagging unit.
And there's another one behind us.

In total, the plant produces a
mind-boggling 60 to 70 billion

plastic pellets every day.

We're in a world where people
everywhere are just becoming aware

of the problems being caused
by plastic. Yes.

Do you ever wonder when you hear
the latest story

of some obscure fish that's been
pulled out of the deepest trench

in the ocean and has been found to
have tiny micro plastics in its gut.

Do you ever think to yourself,
I wonder if those plastics came

from Grangemouth, from Ineos?

We wonder about those issues
all the time.

The fundamental for me is why
do we end up with plastics

in the ocean, which is not
where they should be?

I mean, plastics per se
are not a problem.

Waste plastic and littering
is the problem.

We have to address that.

You are... By proper recycling.
You are the source.

Yeah. It's not enough,

when the bath is overflowing
and the water is flooding

and damaging the buildings... Sure.

..it's not enough just to be
mopping up.

We have to turn off the tap.

You are the tap, Ineos is one
of the big plastic taps

on the planet.

Shouldn't we be reducing production,
looking at other innovations

that don't involve the spread
of plastics across the planet?

We're looking at all
of those things.

There's no point in turning
the tap off because you stop

the good with the bad.

I'll give you a very good example.

Polyethylene going into water pipes.

Water pipes have transformed water
management around the world.

Aeroplanes are becoming
increasingly plastic.

That's helping the fuel economy.

So those are the sorts of
applications that we're developing

new polymers for, not plastic bags
and plastic straws.

That's no interest
to us at all.

But you do do plastic packaging.
It's 20% of your business.

20% of our business overall
is plastic packaging.

You've got a company called
Styrolution, who make some

of the products that are known
to cause real problems in the waste

chain, like these shrink wrap
plastics that go round

water bottles, cosmetics bottles,

this kind of flexible
film packaging.

These are the known miscreants
of the plastic world and you're not

only supplying plastics
for these products,

you're manufacturing the products.

Shouldn't you be backing
off that kind of product

and using your extraordinary
resources and wealth to create

solutions to these problems?

100% of every piece of polymer
we produce is recyclable

when it leaves us.

What we're trying to do is work
with packaging designers, work

with consumer products companies,
to improve the recyclability.

The other area we're doing a huge
amount to work on is to say

can we take back all of that plastic
or most of that plastic and put

it back through our chemical
systems,

break it right back down
constituent parts

and make plastic again?

We don't care whether we make
plastic from gas or we make plastic

from old plastic.

If we can solve chemical recycling,
we can close that loop completely.

How close are you to solving it?

I'd say we're two or three
years away from that.

The mantra about closing the loop
with chemical recycling of our used

plastics is well rehearsed

but everything I've seen here,

especially the virtual pipeline
of US shale gas

that they're so proud of, suggests
they're not planning to stop making

virgin plastic any time soon.

One thing that's definitely going to
stay with me today - what I saw.

Billions and billions
and billions of tiny pellets

of plastic leaving this factory
today, tomorrow, every single day.

Where are they going to end up?
Seriously.

What is certain is that the more
plastic this industry produces,

the more plastic will end up
in our lives,

whether we want it or not.

ANITA: Campaigning sisters Ella and
Caitlin

have been busy spreading the word
about that petition

against plastic fast food toys.

If anyone has any unwanted
McDonald's and Burger King toys,

if they could give them to us

because we're going to try and
collect them to give back

to McDonald's and Burger King.

If it's plastic, we really don't
want them.

The girls' letters to Burger King
and McDonald's didn't get

any response, but after sending
follow-up e-mails,

they tell me they've got some news.

Hello! Hello. Hello, girls.
What's been happening?

First of all we've got an e-mail
from Burger King and McDonald's.

OK, so what did Burger King say?

"Dear Ella and Caitlin,

"plastic pollution
is a big issue.

"And there's something we as a brand
need to review.

"Whilst we can't advise of
any changes at the moment,

"we have forwarded your comments
to our management team

"so we can review the matter."

Well, at least they've engaged with
you.

They've obviously read your letter.

What about the e-mail
from McDonald's?

So McDonald's said "Reference
number is blah blah blah.

"Just want to let you know our team
are currently reviewing

"your feedback and we will be back
in touch as soon as possible.

"Kind regards, McDonald's
customer service team."

I think they've just sent you
an automated response.

That's not good enough.

It's not just something like
"Oh, I got too many tomatoes

"in my burger." It's something
about the lives of sea animals.

The girls' friends at Brownies have
responded to their call-out.

What?!

Hopefully we'll go to McDonald's
and we'll just give them all back.

Give us burgers, not plastic.

I like that. That's a good...
That's a good slogan.

Give us burgers, not plastic.

Girls, I'm so pleased.

I feel like there's an army now.

Yeah. Yes.

Good work.

Bye. Bye-bye.

I'm totally inspired.

I don't think McDonald's know what
they're taking on with these two.

They've underestimated
the power of young girls.

Plastic toys given away
as a marketing tool by companies

might not feel right, but all
of us want to give presents

to our family and friends.

How are you? Lovely to see you.

How are you doing?

On the street in Bristol,

Kay is well into her preparations
for Christmas.

Who do you buy presents for?

I got four stepchildren,
16 step grandchildren,

seven great grandchildren,
but then I also buy

for the children in the street
anyway.

With so many gifts to wrap,

Kay often uses
a convenient short cut.

What is that made of?
Is this what you use?

It's paper. It's for birthday
presents and Christmas gits.

Is it foil or is it...?

I have no idea.

What, do you wanna take one
with you?

Shall we take that and figure
out what it is?

All right, cool.

I like that you're setting me
challenges as well.

Kay's right to be concerned
about how we wrap our gifts.

At Christmas alone, we use
enough wrapping paper to wrap

around the world nine times, held
together with 40 million rolls

of polypropylene sticky tape.

Some on the street are trying out
different takes on gift wrap.

I knew that I had a paper bag
I'd bought from shops and I thought

it would be a good idea
to recycle them.

Jess's mum Wendy has got even
more creative.

I'm making some little bags
to put my Christmas gifts in,

instead of trying to find
plastic-free wrapping paper.

Lots of wrapping paper includes
plastic and can't be recycled.

And when I do my research for Kay...

Good to see you again!

..I discover there's a handy plastic
check

and it'll work for
Kay's gift bags, too.

It's called the crinkle test.

Apparently if you just crinkle
something, and if it pings back

into shape,
then it's got plastic in it.

If it pings... Squeeze it...

Yeah, yeah. And then...

Are you surprised that that's got
plastic in it?

No. No, I'm not.

Actually, I'd be more surprised
if you said it hadn't got

any plastic in it.

This is properly single use,
because no-one's going to use...

They do, actually. If somebody gets
that in a present, undoes the bow...

But, Kay, not everyone is
as organised as you.

I just think people... You'd have
to be very organised...

We've got to differ on that one,
I'm afraid.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree
with you.

The end of the street experiment
is in just a few weeks' time,

so I'll be sure to check
in with Kay again.

HUGH: Producers of plastic
like Ineos are backing

recycling as the solution to the
plastic pollution crisis.

But I've seen how our current
recycling system is creating

problems as well as solving them.

A key way to reform it is to make
the producers of plastic packaging

pay for its collection,
sorting and disposal.

Currently, they only contribute
10% to those costs.

The Minister for the Environment,
Michael Gove, IS developing

a new Government strategy
to deal with our waste better,

and last time we met, I put to him
this principle

that the polluter should pay.

That responsibility
belongs entirely to producers

and retailers,
and they should pay 100%.

I absolutely accept the case,
and I think they should...

You accept the case for 100%?

I accept the case
that they should pay more.

Three weeks later, I'm invited
to the press launch

for his waste and resources strategy

at a London recycling facility.

So, has he taken all this on board?

Is he ready to make
plastic polluters pay 100%?

Hello. Hi. Nice to see you.
How are you? Not too bad.

You have news for all of us
who are interested in waste policy

and the future of plastics.

What are the headlines? Tomorrow,
we'll be publishing a document

which outlines how we can change
the way in which we deal with waste.

One of the first things,
which I know is something

that you've been calling for, Hugh,
is that we're going to say

to all producers that they must
pay the full cost of dealing

with material that they generate.

Producers will be responsible
for 100%?

100% of the cost... 100% of the cost
of recovery and recycling? Yes.

Obviously you're going to get
pushed back on that.

You're going to stand firm
and stick to 100%?

Oh, yes, absolutely, yes.

I think it's critical
that we do so.

So the Minister seems to be on track
with the idea that the polluters

should pay in full, although
the strategy still has a way to go

to become policy.

And even if we do get a properly
funded overhaul of our recycling,

I'm starting to wonder -
will this be enough?

I've been haunted by this sense
of a plastics industry

that's hell-bent on growth.

You know, that's all about more,
not less.

I'm meeting the lead plastics
campaigner for Friends of the Earth,

Julian Kirby...

Hi, Julian.

..who's been modelling possible
futures for global plastic.

I've got to a certain point
in my plastics journey

where, I have to say,
things are feeling pretty intense,

especially since I went
to Grangemouth and visited

the Ineos plant.

What I'm hearing is, sure,
they're going to open new plants

and build more ethylene crackers,
but that's fine,

because they're going to use
more recycled plastic

and we're going to be better
at recycling, and the Government's

going to make sure that councils
are better at recycling,

and we're going to recycle
our way out of this problem

and it's all going to be fine.
Is it going to be fine?

No, it's not.
Not if we take that approach,

which is just carry on making more
and more and more and hope

that recycling will get us
out of the fix, because recycling

can't do that. Take this plate.

Imagine this is the circular
economy.

So we talk about the circular
economy is a good thing

and we need to recycle things as
much as possible.

Once we've made a plastic bottle,
we'll recycle it

round and round as a plastic
bottle.

But what people never talk about
in the debate is the size

of the circle.

So it's all very well putting in
plastic and then making it

spin around.

But if you're putting in more
and more plastic,

then your circle is getting
bigger and bigger,

and more plastic means
more climate-changing pollution

from the fossil fuels that are
needed to make that plastic.

So if you're getting 20%
better at recycling,

but the circle is getting 50%
bigger every few years...

Yeah. ..your problems of plastic
pollution are going up, not down.

Yeah, absolutely.

Mass expansion of plastic production
and use

is driving the plastic pollution
crisis,

but it's also a major contributor to
the climate crisis.

The focus has to be on reducing
how much plastic we're making

and using in the first place.

That is really missing
from the conversation,

and yet it's an essential part
of dealing with the plastic crisis.

I can see why getting behind
recycling serves the makers

of plastic so well - it's completely
compatible with giving us

more and more plastic.

And I wonder whether the businesses
that are using so much of it

might be playing the same game.

Giveaway toy campaigners Caitlin
and Ella are clear about the plastic

they don't need.

Hello, action team!

How are you?

Burger King have sent us
an update on their plans, writing,

"We are trialling the removal
of toys, and working

"on the development of alternatives,

"our goal being to have a more
sustainable toy solution

"in place by 2020.

"In the meantime, we'd like
to applaud Ella and Caitlin

"for their initiative."

They're all McDonald's ones...

But the girls haven't received
anything from McDonald's

beyond their automated response,
and have come to London to deliver

their petition to the
head office around the corner.

Look at all those! 166,101.

I've brought along a little
addition...

Choo-choo! Off we go.

..to make sure they get noticed.

We've gathered a small army
of McDonald's toys...

..to help show the scale
of the problem

the girls are highlighting.

Come and check it out.

That is a lot! Unbelievable.

"This many plastic Happy Meal toys

"are given away in the UK
every five minutes."

Five minutes!

That's just ridiculous. When you
go in to give your petition,

I thought maybe we could drop
this off as well. Yes.

But before marching on McDonald's,
we attract a bit of a crowd.

So these two, Ella and Caitlin,

have got a petition here
that they've done

so they're going to take
this to McDonald's.

What do you think? Is that a good
thing? Yeah.

So you've got all the support.
Let's do it. Good.

Let's do it. Lead the way, girls.

MUSIC: Alright by Supergrass

# We are young, we run green... #

Giant plastic worm
coming through.

# ..See our friends, see the sights

# Feel alright. #

At least McDonald's can't deal
with this approach by using

an automated response.

We've done a petition
against McDonald's plastic toys.

We want to speak
to the sustainability department

because we've got quite
a few signatures.

Yes, can you come downstairs,
please?

Can we ask who's coming downstairs?

Someone that can help you.

OK, thank you very much.

But the person who comes
is not who we were hoping for.

We're just here to see if we can
speak to somebody.

No, you can't, I'm afraid.
We can't speak to anybody?

I'll talk to you outside.

But what about the girls
who want to speak to somebody?

And the girls as well. So we're not
allowed to stay in reception? No.

That's fine. Can I ask who you are?
Yeah, I'm the security.

OK. Security is escorting us off
the property.

Can we ask you to go down to
the bottom?

Can we just tell you what
the girls are...

I can tell you down the bottom. OK.

You've not even asked us what
we're here to do.

I'll ask you down the bottom. OK.

Do you want to take this with you?
You don't want this on the property?

No. No.

I think the girls might want...
They've brought a petition.

We retreat back to the
public pavement.

Are you all right? It's fine, OK?

Yeah?

He said he was going to talk
to us about what we wanted,

and now he's just disappeared.

He basically wanted to get us
off his property. It's not OK.

I feel like companies should be
ready to hear people's complaints.

Like, they don't really care.

They're really hurting the
environment. All they care about

is that people are still buying
their things

and they still get money.

They didn't come out of their
office to talk to you,

but I'm pretty sure McDonald's
will be watching.

So how about you tell them
what you want to say?

I want to say that this is just
ridiculous.

These toys are not needed.

No-one needs these toys.

We don't want them, and you can't
say that no-one else agrees

with us, because there's...
BOTH: ..166,101 signatures.

I don't doubt there are more people
than that who agree with us.

You should be changing this
and you shouldn't be doing this,

McDonald's, it's crazy.

The girls are eventually

allowed back in to drop off
their petition

with the receptionist.

McDonald's may not have come to talk
to us today,

but until they stop
giving out plastic toys,

I think they may be hearing
a lot more from the likes

of Ella and Caitlin.

The experiment to see how much
the streets in Bristol

can reduce its single-use plastic
is at its end.

Our team of counters are revisiting
the 22 houses taking part...

We've got one, two, three, four...

..adding up every piece so we can
compare the total

with the original counts
four months ago.

How are you? Come on in.

If this normal street has been able
to make a significant reduction,

there IS hope we can find a way
out of the plastics crisis.

Hey! Welcome back!

What a massive day.

Before everyone gets together
for the collective result...

Let's do it. I'll go this way,
you go that way... Brilliant.

..and we'll meet up at the end and
see what we find. Can't wait.

..Hugh and I are keen to hear how
people on the street

are feeling about the challenge.

Good morning. Hi, Wendy. Hello.

I hesitate to say

you were one of the worst
on the street for plastic,

but you were one of the worst on
the street for plastic!

Mad! All that stuff.

Is that about it now, for sort
of cleaning products?

That looks refillable too.

That's what Anna made me,
across the road.

It's not necessarily
that you've got rid of a load,

it's that what you've got left
is refillable. Yeah.

The wet wipes are gone.
Have they? Yeah.

What have you done? It's quite
easy - we just don't buy any more.

Just use a cloth. Massive change is
the water bottles. They are gone.

And what have you replaced that
with? The water filter.

There's been some drastic changes.

What was the big thing for you?

Wipes.

Do you miss them? Not at all.

Once I realised how much
of a problem they were causing,

it was a no-brainer.

One resident's agoraphobia means
she can't turn out

for the result of the count.

Throughout the experiment,
the wonderful Kay

has been my reality check.

Now, what I've done is, that's the
wrapping bag -

all wrapping what come off
of presents.

This is the bag that you said
people will re-use.

Yeah, but they didn't, did they?

So what do you think? Are you going
to use those next year?

I probably won't, actually.

That could be one of the ones
I'm not going to do next year.

You're not going to use
these next year! No.

The bottom line is, I'm thinking
that I can make a bit

of a difference and,

if I could do it, so can a lot of
other people, really.

I love Kay's growing positivity
AND the other successes I've seen

on the street, but I'm aware
they're not the full picture.

Not everybody's been able
to do that much.

Some people not engaged
with this at all, and it's not

actually that easy for people
to be as plastic free

as they want to be because of
the way things are sold.

So, all of that taken into account,

what do I think about what's
going to happen?

No idea.

I just hope the plastic is less than
it was when we first started.

As the residents gather,

our team calculates the grand total,
ready for the big reveal.

Hello, everyone! Hey! Hi!

OK, so today is the big day
where we're going to find out

what we've all been up to.

Right. A lot of us are gathered here
who've been involved in the project

but there is a really special,
important person that

I've spent a lot of time with.
Kay, are you with us?

I'm here! Hi!

Hello, Kay!
CHEERING

It's great to see you all there.

So shall we do the results?

ALL: Yes!

Four months ago, the total plastic
that came from this street

was 15,774
single-use bits of plastic.

So...

I just want to be clear
that the same houses

that were measured on day one
have been measured now.

It's a proper comparison
of like figures.

Here it comes.

The figure today...

..is...

Yes!

8,610 bits of plastic!
That is amazing.

CHEERING

So that is a reduction of...

..45%! Wow!

Yeah, come on! This is you!

You have come very, very close
to halving the amount of plastic

you're using in the street.
Phenomenal.

If every street in the country
followed your example, by how many

pieces of plastic would we reduce
the plastic mountain that's now

sitting on top of us all?

What would it be?

8.8 billion pieces of plastic
less in our lives.

That's 8.8 billion pieces of plastic
that won't end up in the sea.

That won't get burned
somewhere in Asia

because we don't
know how to deal with it.

It would be a phenomenal
achievement for the nation

to do what you have done.

We've learned so much.
Yeah, it's been amazing.

One of the really great things

has been our community
coming together.

There is a small revolution
going on, and, yes...

Now let's make it a big one.

We need to make it a big one, yeah.
Amazing. Thank you.

WHOOPING

This ordinary British street
has proved that making

a significant reduction to the
plastic in our lives IS possible,

but it hasn't all been easy.

What are the hardest things
to buy without plastic?

Food.

Food that you're going to keep

for a while like the bars,
the pasta.

It's very frustrating to go
to Sainsbury's thinking, right,

I'm going to avoid plastic

and then... You can't.
..I need X, Y and Z,

and it's all encased in plastic.

Of course, the supermarkets aren't
silent on the subject of plastics.

They've all got a plan,
and I'm absolutely convinced

that this is where we need to see
change - from our supermarkets.

This is where we have to pile
on the pressure.

One of the baselines for
the supermarkets' plans

is a pledge that they've all signed
called the Plastics Pact.

And here's the number one
commitment - that by 2025,

100% of our plastic packaging
to be reusable,

recyclable or compostable.

They've got three choices.

So, which of these are they actually
going to choose?

The different supermarkets'
plastics plans have been analysed

by the Environmental Investigation
Agency and Greenpeace.

I've come to discuss their findings

with Greenpeace's ocean plastics
campaigner Elena Polisano.

Hi, Elena. Hi. How are you?

The survey found that UK
supermarkets produce

over 800,000 tonnes
of single-use plastic a year -

a third of all our
plastic packaging -

so their future plans
really matter.

This is a familiar sight
to us all, isn't it?

So this is the sort of plastic
we would call a problem plastic.

It can't be recycled.

Supermarkets need to make sure
they're getting rid of this stuff.

The three peppers...

This crinkly stuff can't be
recycled. Can't be recycled.

But they are planning to phase this
stuff out - in favour of what?

Recyclable plastic, mainly.

So we're still talking
single-use plastic packaging.

So the fact that it's single use but
recyclable, that's still a problem.

Absolutely!

No waste system in the world

could cope with the amount of
plastic that we're producing.

The evidence I think is there
for us all to see,

whether it's a walk along the beach

or whether it's images
of the plastic

that we've exported around
the world.

Another solution
open to the supermarkets

under their pledge is to use
compostable plastics.

The worry with this stuff is that it
needs very specific conditions

in order to be compostable,

and if it gets into the recycling
stream it contaminates it.

We need to move away from
a throwaway culture where we imagine

that our packaging just
magically disappears.

We need to move away from
single use, full stop.

Why do you think supermarkets
are going down this route

of sticking with plastics rather
than properly addressing reduction?

Because it's as close as you can get
to business as usual.

It's very profitable. It means
that, you know, supermarkets

don't need to make these big,
radical changes.

So this Plastics Pact
actually makes it entirely possible

that there'll be far more plastic
in our supermarkets, not less.

You could very well say,
yup, I've met my target,

2025, done and dusted,

when, actually, the absolute amount
of plastic could double.

One way for supermarkets to break
away from single-use plastic

is to simply sell us goods
without packaging.

Two months ago, Tesco told me
about their planned trial

to encourage their customers
to buy loose fruit and veg

rather than packaged.

So now I've come along to one of
the two stores running the trial.

I'm wondering whether I'll step
in there

and see a completely
new type of Tesco.

That's what I'm hoping to see.
Less plastic. A lot less plastic.

I'm meeting up with group quality
director Sarah Bradbury.

Hello, Sarah. Hello, how are you?

I'm great.
Lovely to see you again!

The attractive displays
of loose fruit and veg

certainly look promising.

At my last meeting with Sarah,
I pointed out that buying produce

loose often costs more
than buying it packaged,

and she promised me that this trial
would be different.

The peppers here are 25p here

and we've got 30p for the red
and for the orange ones as well.

We've made sure they're absolutely
price competitive.

Sarah's kept her word on price,

but the trial hasn't increased
the choice if you want to buy loose.

It's simply lowered the price
of 45 lines of fruit and veg

that were already being sold loose,
and removed the packaged option.

Hundreds of other lines
are STILL in their packaging.

You've got one, two, three, four,

five, six, seven,

eight, nine, ten,

11, 12. 12 different ranges of
tomatoes all in plastic

and only two that are available
without. There's not a choice.

There is a choice here -
there's absolutely a choice.

I've got two loose tomatoes,
and 12 in plastic.

That's not a choice.

If a company like Tesco makes
a commitment to just get rid of

as much plastic packaging
as possible,

you will have made a huge
impact to the country as a whole.

We would reduce our single plastic
use overnight if you could do that.

So it is important that we do that.

We've created a culture
around convenience

and everybody is used to buying
in a certain way.

You're right.
We buy our tomatoes like this

because Tesco's is selling them
to me like this. Yep.

You're telling me
that this is convenient.

You're telling me that this is
going to be better

for my tomatoes at home.

You're dictating to us
how we should be buying.

How hard is it to just remove the
packaging from the chain?

Practically, we could do it tomorrow
if it was the right thing to do.

But we need to make sure that we've

brought the supply chain along with
us. I'm not going to forget that.

Practically, you could do
it tomorrow

if you thought
it was the right thing to do?

I had such high hopes for this
trial, but it just doesn't feel

like the dramatic change
in thinking that we need.

For a massive, powerful supermarket,

you created a culture of shopping,
you dictated to us how we shop.

Now I say to you - create another
culture. Change the landscape.

Be radical. Set the standards for
other supermarkets.

How about that?

A growing number of refill shops
around the country have introduced

a genuine alternative
to plastic-heavy shopping,

allowing us to fill our own bags
and containers

with un-packaged produce.

I think they're great,

but, to date, they've struggled
to match the supermarkets

for choice and affordability.

Catherine Conway is a consultant
on reducing packaging

and is designing ways to
scale up the refill approach

for our supermarket aisles.

Hi, Cath. Lovely to meet you.
How are you doing? Very well.

So if you're looking at your future
shopping crystal ball,

definitely not a plastic ball,

what does it look like,
five years, ten years from now?

How could and should we be shopping?

So I guess packaging is something
that enables the food to get

to your house,
enables you to use it,

and then it goes back into
the system to be reused

so it's just in a continual cycle
of being cleaned, reused, cleaned,

reused, round and round.

Which actually plays to
plastic's strength,

because it is really a durable
substance.

It's about the system,
not the material.

Imagine that you've got
this kind of Tupperware at home.

One option is, you go
into your store

and somebody refills
that for you.

The other one is, you walk
in and pick up a pre-filled piece

of reusable packaging
from the supermarket,

take it home, use the goods and then
you put it back into the system.

That's a big change
we're asking for.

But if you think, traditionally,
it's not that much of a change.

In some way, it's going back
to systems that we used to have,

where it was refillable
glass milk bottles - you know,

the way our parents used to shop,

and it's actually updating
those systems

in a more tech-savvy,
a more modern world.

It does sound like a brave new world

but not one in which there's zero
cost to the environment.

You need heat and cleaning products.
You're totally right.

But I firmly believe that if
it's done to the right scale

at the right efficiencies,
then the system has to be better

for the environment than
the single-use alternative.

After several years of trying
to engage supermarkets

Catherine is now advising
one of them

as it dips its toes into the world
of reusable packaging.

Waitrose are running a trial
at just one branch for 11 weeks.

They've intercepted parts
of their supply chain

before the plastic packaging
goes on,

to offer 160 lines of loose
fruit and veg

as well as refill stations
for dry-store goods,

frozen fruit, coffee
and even wine and beer.

You can bring your own containers
and bags

or put down a deposit to
borrow theirs.

I love not feeling guilty every
time I buy fruit and veg any more.

Be even better if you could manage
to provide milk

in returnable glass bottles or a
milk refill station.

This is great. Hopefully more
stores will do the same.

Well, that's the crunch, isn't it?

More stores will follow.

I mean, there's only one Waitrose
doing this out of 360,

and thousands
of other supermarkets

not really embracing this approach
at all yet.

We're at the very, very beginning
of something.

Or are we?
Maybe it'll just peter out and die.

What I think is important
about what's happening here

is that they're showing
it is possible -

we can do our shopping
without all this plastic.

And if that's going to scale up,

if that's going to become
the new normal,

well, ultimately, it's going to
be down to us.

We know the scale of the plastic
problem we're facing.

Every single minute
of every single day

a truckload of plastics is finding
its way into the world's oceans.

And one street has shown us
that we CAN do things differently.

So that is a reduction of... 45%.

Wow!

But if we are going to bring
about the change our planet needs,

then we need to make ourselves
heard.

Our supermarkets are always telling
us that our opinions matter,

that they value our feedback.

So let's take them up on that.

Let's start feeding
our plastic back.

I'm going to write
"enough is enough".

These bananas are already
packaged by nature.

Every year we spend BILLIONS
in the big supermarkets.

So surely they'll listen!

I'll keep on buying but
only if you keep on trying

to reduce my plastic packaging
to zero.

Cauliflower does not need
a plastic bag.

If you're shopping in the next seven
days, take those bits of plastic

that are really irritating
you and take them back

to the supermarket.

Write your message on the plastic
and hand it over.

My little note is,
"Plastic isn't fantastic."

Please stop wrapping my fruit
and vegetable in plastic.

Hashtag - #OurPlasticFeedback.

Why don't you get involved too?

Time to reduce.

And don't forget to add the
hashtag...

Share it on social media.

And then feed it back.

We're giving our plastic feedback!

Just here to give our
plastic feedback.

People across the country are
starting to tell their supermarkets

they no longer want their
single-use plastic.

They won't be very pleased, but
I think they'll understand.

Do it for us,
do it for our children,

do it for our grandchildren.

Let's make
the change we need happen.

It looks like some people
have had enough.

It's time for a plastics revolution.

There's too much plastic
on our planet.

Hashtag...

Let's tell the supermarkets
how we feel.

For the next seven days,
let's give them...

ALL: ..our plastic feedback!

For the sake of the planet,

LESS plastic, please.