78% say they want to reduce plastic usage as community-led campaign launches in Barnet

• North London households throw out over 46 million pieces of plastic each week. 

• Most Barnet residents already use reusable bags (over 85%) and water bottles (83%). 77.7% said they want to reduce their single-use plastic usage to help protect the planet.  

• Families could save almost £5,000 per year by switching to reusable food and drink containers. 

Barnet residents are being encouraged to opt for reusable alternatives and save nearly £5,000 per year, as 78% say they want to reduce their use of single-use plastics. North London Waste Authority (NLWA) and the London Borough of Barnet have launched the “Bring It, Barnet” campaign to encourage Barnet residents to further reduce their use of single-use plastic, by opting for reusable alternatives.  

The rise in popularity and convenience of single-use plastics has led to a plastic waste and pollution problem. Opting for reusables you can use again and again for your food and drink – is the best choice for the environment and is even better than recycling. 

Research conducted by NLWA in September 2023 found that:

• Over 85% of Barnet residents already use reusable bags and 83% use reusable water bottles.  

• 77.7% said they want to reduce the amount of single-use plastic they use when buying food and drink products. 

• Almost 80% said that they understood that a lot of single-use plastic could be replaced with reusable alternatives. 

Additionally, NLWA calculates that, by swapping out the bottled water, single use hot drinks cups and plastic bags for reusable options, families could save up to £4,881.40 per year! 

With the slogan “Bring It, Barnet”, the campaign, featuring real Barnet residents, is encouraging more people living and working in Barnet to bring their reusable coffee cups, shopping bags, water bottles and food containers to avoid single-use plastic. The campaign is appearing on billboards and bus stops in High Barnet and East Finchley as well as social media and will be rolled out across other north London boroughs in future months. This campaign has been a collaborative effort between NLWA and the London Borough of Barnet.

​London Borough of Barnet Cabinet Member for Environment & Climate Change, Cllr Alan Schneiderman said: 

“Plastic's impact on our environment is devastating, polluting rivers, oceans, and endangering wildlife and biodiversity. As it degrades into microplastics, it invades our rivers, seas, soil, and even our food chain. By ditching single-use plastic for reusable containers, we can cut down on pollution, protect wildlife, save resources and energy, and even save money. It's a simple switch with big impact. That’s why we’re encouraging more Barnet locals to bring their reusables with them - to play their part in protecting our environment. This campaign feeds into our target of becoming a Net Zero council by 2030 and Net Zero borough no later than 2042”. 

UK households throw out around 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging annually, most of which is single-use. Just 12% of this plastic waste gets recycled, and the rest ends up in the rubbish, wasting the vast quantity of materials and resources used for their production. 

Households in north London throw out over 46 million pieces of plastic each week. That’s around 9055 tons or over 717 UK football pitches and is enough to fill the Old Court House recreation ground 202 times over.

To find out more about the campaign, please visit https://www.nlwa.gov.uk/campaigns-and-projects/bring-it-barnet-0 

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