April 4, 2019 View all news One year on from the nationwide day of action which saw thousands of shoppers leave their unwanted plastic packaging behind in supermarkets, the Sick of Plastic Campaign is launching a new wave of action, kicking off on April 13th.This year Sick of Plastic is encouraging people to mobilise their local communities and organise ongoing shop and drops at their local supermarket. Saturday April 13th is the nationwide kick-off event, marking the beginning of community-led supermarket actions.Claudia Tormey, from the Sick of Plastic Campaign, commented:“Last year’s action really grabbed supermarkets’ attention, but they haven’t made enough lasting changes, and people are frustrated.“We need to increase the volume and keep up the pressure to make supermarkets break free from plastic! It’s up to all of us to demand change - and that starts at the check-out in our local supermarket.”Sick of Plastic have set up an online platform [1] for people to come together in their local area and organise their own actions. Already 200 people have signed up, ready to shop and drop from April 13th.The Sick of Plastic Campaign has 6 demands on how supermarkets can break free from plastic [2] and have been running a petition which now has almost 17,000 signatures.Over 600 people have already participated in our recently launched supermarket plastic audit [3] to find out what progress, if any, has been made to tackle plastic in supermarkets. Evidence so far shows some supermarkets have made small steps. Lidl has introduced more loose fruit and replaced the plastic bag on their Fairtrade bananas with a paper band. Supervalu has provided bins in some stores for shoppers to leave unwanted packaging.Oisin Coghlan, Director of Friends of the Earth, commented:“We have seen some supermarkets, like Lidl and Supervalu, take some small steps to reduce plastic. Others have done little or nothing and no one has done enough.“Shoppers are trying to do their bit. People are avoiding plastic where they can and recycling as much as they can. But often we don’t have a choice when most food is unnecessarily wrapped in soft plastic.“‘Shop and Drop’ is a simple action for the public to demonstrate their frustrations and show supermarkets that they need to do more to reduce and phase out single use plastics.“Shop and Drop is a demonstration, not the long-term solution. The solution is for supermarkets to give shoppers the choice to avoid plastic in the first place.”The Sick of Plastic local actions platform provides all of the tools and resources you need to form a group in your area and organize your first action on April 13th.Visit www.changex.org/ie/sickofplastic to get started and to see the groups set up already! For more information or to arrange interviews contact: claudia@foe.ie NOTES[1] Online platform for Sick of Plastic local actions: www.changex.org/ie/sickofplastic[2] Sick of Plastic’s 6 Demands on how supermarkets can break free from plastic:Offer more items without packaging, such as fruit and vegetables (without plastic trays, wrapping and nets).Make own-brand packaging easily compostable or recyclable, and use less plastic.Demand, through purchasing power, that other brands have easily compostable or recyclable packaging, and use less plastic.Blaze a trail in Ireland by implementing a plastic free aisle, as has been done in the Netherlands.Provide items in bulk, where possible, to reduce packaging.Allow shoppers to use their own containers, buying only what they need.[3] Supermarket Audit: https://www.foe.ie/sickofplastic/supermarket-plastic-audit.html Categorised in: Waste