Manchester Friends of the Earth are inviting people to have a plastic-free festive season this year. The group have produced a colourful Plastic-Free Christmas newsletter packed full with fantastic ideas for top plastic-free swaps, how to shop for a plastic-free Christmas dinner and a map of plastic-free food and gift suppliers in Greater Manchester. [1]
Every year, the UK gives to landfill for Christmas:
* 125,000 tonnes of plastic waste
* 6 million Christmas trees
* 1500 tonnes of fairy lights
* 227,000 miles of recyclable wrapping paper
Globally half of the 300 million tons of plastic produced each year is used only once [2] and between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic material end up in the oceans every year. [3]
Catherine Thomson, Manchester Friends of the Earth’s co-ordinator said: “going plastic free at Christmas is a challenge but the Plastic-Free Christmas newsletter is full of great ideas to help people reduce unnecessary waste during the festive season.”
National Friends of the Earth’s have also produced 12 festive tips for a plastic free Christmas [ 4]
Friends of the Earth are proposing an ‘End Plastics Pollution’ law that will guide government action to phase out of all but the safest and most essential plastics.
ENDS
Contact for comments: Pete Abel, Manchester Friends of the Earth, mobile: 07951 642858
Notes for Editors
[1] See https://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk/newsletter/
[2] See https://plasticoceans.org/the-facts/
[3] Study by the University of California Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2015/014985/ocean-plastic
[4] https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics/christmas-plastic-free
[5] Manchester Friends of the Earth is an award-winning environmental campaign group, raising awareness and lobbying for policy changes at a local, regional, national and international level. The group consists entirely of volunteers, and its campaigns are funded by membership fees and individual donations. Up-to-date information is available on the group’s website: www.manchesterfoe.org.uk. Manchester Friends of the Earth is a Licensed Local Group of Friends of the Earth, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
