New polling shows that four in five (83%) of British adults agree that ‘throwaway culture’ is a big problem in the UK.
The survey by environmental think tank Green Alliance shows four in five British people agreed with the statement: ‘there is a need to shift towards a society that uses resources more efficiently’.
68% of those surveyed said they would support changing how they live to achieve this shift.
Support for actions to reduce waste and use resources more efficiently cuts across political allegiances, the survey suggests.
86% of 2024 Labour and Conservative voters agreed that ‘throwaway culture is a big problem in the UK’, while 88% of Lib Dem voters and 81% of Reform voters agreed.
88% of 2024 Labour voters support ‘introducing requirements for businesses to provide recycling services for products they make’.
Plastic pollution is one of the most visible symptoms of our throwaway society.
While 80% of Conservative voters, 91% of Lib Dem voters and 77% of Reform voters also support this.
Green Alliance released the survey as talks between UN member states in Geneva to reach a legally binding treaty on ending plastic pollution are set to conclude on Thursday.
The United States urged several countries to reject limits on plastic production and plastic chemical additives ahead of the negotiations, according to a memo and communications seen by Reuters.
Commenting on the survey, Charles Long, political adviser at Green Alliance, said: “Plastic pollution is one of the most visible symptoms of our throwaway society. People are justifiably outraged by it and expect the international community to reach an agreement after years of fruitless negotiation.
“But it’s not just plastic – waste is wired into our economy, and it’s no surprise the vast majority of British people want to see action to change this, no matter who they vote for.”
Green Alliance says Yonder Consulting polled a representative sample of 2,043 British adults between 2 and 3 July 2025 to collect the survey results.