Shop & Drop Campaign Launched to Halt the Rise of Plastic

On 21 April, shoppers are asked to leave plastic packaging in supermarkets as part of a nationwide campaign.

The time has come to act. On Saturday 21 April, a day of action has been organized by the Sick of Plastic Campaign in an attempt to stem the flow of plastic and urge supermarkets to do more.

The Shop and Drop event asks shoppers to politely leave packaging at the checkout. The environmental groups VOICE and Friends of the Earth Ireland want people to pay as usual and then to remove packaging and leave it at the checkout.

Director of Friends of Earth, Oisín Coghlan is calling for supermarkets to provide recycling bins in which shoppers can place the packaging. He said on Newstalk that he has nothing but sympathy for the supermarket staff on the day, but that, “we are not targeting them. Consumers can politely ask ‘where would you like us to leave this’ on the day.”

The other big concern is that it will effectively be ‘littering’ inside the supermarket. To combat this they are trying to notify the supermarkets in advance to be aware of the upcoming event and therefore be prepared.

So, who’s in?

Like this? You should check these out:

• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Bigger Than France, Germany and Spain Combined
• 6 Items of Outdoor Gear made from Recycled Materials
• 15 Tips to Help You Lower Your Carbon Footprint in 2018