Parents have been shamed by their own children for bad recycling practices, a survey has revealed.
A poll of 2,000 parents found one in six believed their children – aged five to 18 – knew more about recycling than they did.
Two-thirds of adults confessed to throwing something away simply because they ‘can’t be bothered’ to recycle it, whilst four in 10 said they had been caught doing so by one of their children.
Kids were also good at prompting positive habits at the supermarket, with half reminding parents to use ‘bags for life’ rather than using ‘single-use’ carrier bags, whilst one in four encouraged parents to buy loose fruit and vegetables with no plastic packaging.
The research was carried out by the Mid-Counties Co-Operative, whose ‘1Change’ campaign aims to “engage members and the next generation” to tackle the use of single-use plastics.
“Reducing single-use plastic is a high priority for our 700,000 members, so we wanted to understand whether this desire was making its way to the next generation,” said Mike Pickering, the co-operative’s social responsibility manager.
“Our results show, happily, that the mantle is also being passed down, with children showing real engagement in sustainable living – something we see regularly through our work with schools.”
Three quarters of adults polled said they were worried about the state of the world they would leave behind for the next generation, although only six out of 10 said they were trying to cut down on single-use plastics.
Eight out of 10 respondents believed retailers have a responsibility to teach customers more about recycling packaging and single-use plastics.
“It’s up to all of us to make sure we’re doing our best when it comes to our purchasing habits and recycling,” added Pickering.
“Through 1Change, the Society is working with schools to educate children about the environmental impact of single-use plastic. We’re seeking to engage with 50 schools through our ‘Plastic is not Fantastic’ education programme this year.
“We’re also removing single-use plastic carrier bags across our premium supermarkets by 2020 and we’re committed to reduce waste through our operations by 20 percent by 2022, while maintaining our recycling rate of 99 percent.”
