No Black Bin Challenge: Rushden dad and son undertake six-month task to reduce household's plastic waste

A man and his son from Rushden have undertaken a mighty challenge to reduce the amount of plastic that the household wastes while taking part in Greenpeace’s Big Plastic Count.

The six-month challenge is set to be completed in April, as both George Dowsett and his son, Jake, have taken extra measures to ensure they are more conscious of what can go in each bin, and what effect it can have.

George said: "We’re trying to be a little bit more careful about the things we buy at the supermarket, trying to buy loose vegetables rather than pre-packaged vegetables and avoiding products that are overly-packaged.

"One of the key things to us being able to do this is how many soft plastics go in the black wheelie bin. Things like crisp packets and plastic bags, none of that can go in a traditional recycling bin.

“It’s felt fairly natural to be honest, we’ve been fairly good at recycling anyway, and we’ve just stepped it up a gear.”

Plastics are a major issue globally, as around eight million tonnes of waste finds its way into oceans.

Some companies have been proactive in reducing the amount of plastics they use, but a cultural change is needed from all to ensure the negative impact of plastic waste is reduced.

George added: “We’re just trying to inspire other people to be a bit more aware of the waste we are all creating.

"It’s so easy when the council take it away to think that it’s not a problem, but it really is a problem, and it’d be great if people tried to reduce the amount of products they buy in the first place, but also reduce the amount of waste they are creating.”

The pair’s efforts caught the attention of several news outlets, not least BBC’s The One Show on Monday, February 13, which can be seen on iPlayer.

On the topic, George said: “I contacted the BBC about it on the off chance really, with the idea of trying to inspire other people to do it.

"The One Show got in touch and I was a bit surprised at how much interest there was in a couple of people trying not to use their wheelie bin that much.”