A Guide to Collecting your .

Congratulations! You’re about to embark on a journey to discover what you throw away and where it goes. By collecting all the plastic you use this week, you’re on the way to understanding more about the plastic problem and what steps you can take to help reduce your plastic footprint.

Collecting is easy, but here is a quick how-to guide:

1. Do I need to collect EVERY piece of plastic I throw away?

Yes. This is the most important rule of the whole experiment. Whether you’re at home, at work, at the cinema or in Nando’s, you must save every piece of plastic that you would otherwise throw away.

It doesn’t matter if it’s big (an inflatable unicorn) or small (a sweet wrapper), if it’s broken or in one piece, or if it’s recognisable or not.

This experiment is a study of the plastic waste you are throwing away during a specific week-long period.

If you finish a bottle of shower gel, milk, washing up liquid or tomato ketchup during the week, put it in your bin .

If you don’t, then leave it out.

2. Am I just collecting my plastic waste or my whole household’s?

Any piece of plastic that is thrown away at home should go into your bag. That includes your Grandma’s empty bag of crisps, your boyfriend’s empty deodorant , your sister’s empty pack of Match Attax cards or housemate’s ripped parcel bag.

EVERYDAY PLASTIC TIP: Put the sign above your bin so everyone at home knows where their plastic waste goes.

3. What equipment do I need?

A that is dedicated to your plastic waste. A small bag for your or rucksack to collect your waste when you’re at work or out the house. A notebook to note down any items you cannot store such as nappies or dog poo .

4. What if I don’t know what the material is made from?

If you’re not sure if the material is plastic or it feels like paper or looks like tin or glass, just put it in your bin bag. We will filter out any incorrect materials during the analysis process.

Examples of things that you may not realise are made of plastic:

Sandwich packaging Crisp packets Coat-hangers Juice or milk cartons Onion nets Cotton buds Coffee cups Water filters Plant pots Envelope window Sellotape Plasters Toothpaste tubes Cleaning sponges

5. Do I need to wash the plastic before I throw it away?

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Yes. Wash all pieces of food packaging before throwing them away. We don’t want to be touching any unclean meat trays or vegetable bags when we come to analyse what is in your bag.

For hygienic reasons, there are a few things that should stay out of your bin bag:

Nappies and nappy bags Wet wipes Plasters Cotton buds (if plastic) Pet poo bags Period products

When we empty out our bags to analyse what we’ve thrown away, we want the process to be as clean as possible, so if you think an item of plastic may be a bit unclean or unhygienic over the week, just make a note at home.

There are some things that we want to know you threw away… but we don’t need to see them!

6. Should I tell anyone that I’m doing this?

Yes. It’s important that those around you – particularly at home – know that you’re doing this experiment, so they can help save plastic waste that is destined for the bin.

And so they don’t mistake the bag for actual rubbish and put it out for your local waste collectors. It will also help them to learn at the same time as you.

7. Finally, take lots of photos and videos throughout the week.

We want to know how you’re getting on, what you’re learning, what has surprised you, and what your friends and family think of the project.

For a video, think about filming the following: Your reactions/diary accounts of how you feel the experiment is going e.g. “I’ve decided not to use any more plastic bottles having seen how many I am throwing away.”

Photos too. For example: • Your bin bag at the start of the week and at the end putting plastic waste into your bin bag. • The amount of plastic you use at work on a single day. • And anything else you want to film, or photograph related to the experiment.

Most importantly have fun!

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