All language subtitles for War.On.Plastic.With.Hugh.And.Anita.S01E01.Episode.1.720p.iP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-SOIL.[eng]

OK.

A little bit more.

A little bit more.

Stop!

OK.

Every single minute
of every single day,

a truckload of plastics is finding
its way into the world's oceans.

And once it's there, it sticks
around for hundreds of years.

We're just adding to an
ever-thicker plastic soup.

That's it, that's it.

Kilos of plastic are being found
in the stomachs of whales.

Sea birds are starving,
as their bellies fill up with it.

Large bits of plastic
are gradually breaking down

into tiny micro-plastics...

..which enter marine creatures
and pass on up the food chain.

These truckfuls...will not
be adding to the problem.

But what I want to know is,
how do we solve it?

When I first tackled the issue
of waste four years ago...

Post your videos of stupid packaging
that is driving you insane.

..I discovered the power
of people everywhere joining

a nationwide conversation.

Suddenly, coffee cups
are front-page news.

Now, to take on the huge
problem of plastics,

we need to step up
our efforts again.

We are making 1.8 million tonnes
of plastic in the UK.

And to help in this colossal task,
I'm joined by Anita Rani.

Microphone, check.

List of names, check.

Rush hour, check.

We will try every tactic we can...

Thirsty, thirsty.

Thank you.
Oh, my God.

..challenging some of
the biggest companies.

I want to speak to the
sustainability department?

And taking the true
scale of the problem...

It's like some dystopian nightmare.

..to those at the top.

The ball is really
in your court now.

I understand.

We team up with a street
in a bold experiment...

I am thinking about it - a lot.

..to find out how we can all play
a part in our war on plastics.

Are you up for it?
ALL: Yes!

If we're going to find solutions
to the problems plastics

are causing, Anita and I need
to work out where to start.

I think we've become so reliant
on it, because it's handy and cheap

to produce, that it's
absolutely everywhere.

It's obviously a really useful
material and it's what we do

with it that becomes problematic.

As Hugh and I start
on this mammoth project,

it makes sense to begin by looking
at the plastic in my own home.

Da da da!

The cupboard under the sink.

Plastic scouring pads.

All my cleaning products.

Food bags.
I don't know what that is.

Why did I agree to do this?

OK, so I have a lot of plastic.

The question is,
what's good and what's bad?

We know carrier bags are bad
but Method Man and Mary J Blige?

I mean, that's some of the best
plastic in the world right there.

Plastic is light, strong
and incredibly durable.

For things we use
over and over again,

it's a wonder material.

Have you seen enough?

But we often use it just once,
to hold food, or for things

like toiletries.

These are so handy,
but they're so bad.

We are using a material that lasts
for centuries, for just a few

days or weeks.

And then, we throw it away.

This is the problem right here.

But how big a problem is this?

How much of this single-use plastic
do we have in our homes,

right now, across the whole country?

Hugh and I have an idea
of how to find out.

We've chosen a normal British street
of terraced houses in East Bristol.

Gather at the top
of the street, an announcement

is about to be made.

There are families and couples,
owners and renters,

newcomers and old-timers.

And it certainly feels
a friendly street.

In fact, their annual
street party is the perfect day

to launch our experiment.

Hugh is coming to knock
on your doors.

I think we have a bit of a briefing
at the top of the street

in a few minutes' time.

Are you up for that?

We want to try and get a snapshot
of plastic use in the UK,

and your street has been chosen
as the street to represent

Great Britain.

And what a great street you are!

We want you to bring out
all the single-use plastic.

Here's some baskets for you all.
Get going.

Together with a team of helpers,
Hugh and I are going to count every

single item in the 22 houses
that have agreed to take part.

The grand total will let us estimate
how much single-use plastic

the whole country has at home.

Thank you for letting us
gatecrash your street party.

That's fine.
First of all.

The younger ones do
most of the work.

I'm agoraphobic,
so I don't leave the house. OK.

But are you all right with people
coming to give you a hand?

And then bring it back?

We'll bring it all back
when the job's done.

Wow, what an amazing
house you've got.

Kay's lived on the street
for over 40 years.

You might have a bit of a problem
getting this stuff out.

All of these Coke bottles,
we'd like to take.

Someone better bring
them back, then.

Of course they will.
I'm a Coke addict.

Coke bottles, kitchen.

We've asked everyone to divide
their single-use plastics,

so we can count them
in three sections.

First, items from the kitchen.

All the food, the carrots, cheese...

It's all in plastic, these days.
Everything.

And the freezer.
Full of it.

That's mostly glass.
Oh, you missed that one. Plastic.

Right, we're doing well here,
girls.

Then it's items from the bathroom.

Nick, is the bathroom free?

I say, come on up.

Yeah?
Come on.

We might as well get
to know each other.

Over here, all of this
stuff, nice and wet.

It's been used.
Of course.

At least we know you're clean.
We're totally clean.

And finally, the stuff
from anywhere else in the house.

You're wrecking my house.

I'm trying really hard not to.

You're wrecking my garden, now.

Over the next two hours,
the residents carry out anything

and everything that's contained
in single-use plastic.

Once you start digging,
it kind of feels endless.

You've got wipes,
you've got cleaning products.

Even organic carrots
come in a plastic bag.

Crisps, nappies.

Oh!
There's a football.

At least we can safely say
that that is not single use.

And then, our team set to work
calculating the grand total.

So the total number of kitchen
items on your street...

..7,145.

Right, bathroom items.

5,241.

From your bathrooms!

And other items -
DIY, pets, garden stuff,

3,388 single-use items
have come out of your street.

So your total for this street
-

15,774.

That's not cool.
Not cool?

This is one example of one street,
and you can see there are 20 streets

on this side.

What about all the other streets
in the whole of the rest of the UK?

That's just off of that one street.

So there are 27 million
households in Britain.

And if we use your figure,
let's scale that up to see...

So that's...

19, five, two noughts. Yep.
And another three noughts. Yep.

And another three noughts.

There you go.

19.5 billion bits of single-use
plastic in houses

up and down the country today.

I want to see whether you go
along this journey with me

a little bit further.

Can we continue to work
with you as a street,

get to know how you live,
get involved in your lives?

Are you up for showing the rest
of the United Kingdom how to get rid

of single-use plastics
from our lives?

Are you up for it?
ALL: Yes!

Yes, indeed, yes.

I think that was a yes, Anita.

I think that might
have been a resounding yes.

We've challenged this typical
UK street to see how much

they can reduce their single-use
plastic over the next four months,

before we count it again.

As you might expect,
there's quite a range of opinions.

My bottom line is,
there isn't a choice.

Kay lives with her husband,
Paul, and their cat, Mork.

When you buy stuff,
you've got to buy what's available.

It's all in plastic, in any case.

Anna lives with her partner, Nick,
and is an actor and teacher.

It's my responsibility now to go
away and look at the other

possibilities and take stock
of everything and think,

"What can I do here to actually
make a difference?"

Here we go.

Carlene has a two-year-old son,
Jackson.

I'm just constantly busy.

To be super-organised and go
shopping with a toddler,

actually, I'm just going to go
to Aldi, because it's easy,

because I know where everything is,
do you know what I mean?

Plastic pollution is predicted
to increase three times by 2025.

But, if these residents can prove
it's possible to significantly

reduce our single-use plastics,
they offer real hope

for a different future.

Over the next four months,
I'm going to be following

the residents to discover the easy
fixes and what just feels too hard.

Hello, Kay.

Morning, how are you?
Lovely, thank you.

The priority has to be tackling
the part of the house

with the highest plastic
tally - the kitchen.

What I normally do is
put this up here.

Kay's online grocery shop
has just been delivered.

And then we'll do a double act?

Yeah, let's do it.
I'm going to pass it to you.

So I'm going to go like that
and I'm going to put those...

I'm going to put one forward,
because of the date.

And, straight away,
I spot a simple target.

This is what we're talking about.

Each individually wrapped, single
use, and then even that's in
plastic.

I buy it because it's convenient,
it's just in measures I want to eat.

And you use what you want,
you don't waste any.

You're not chucking
anything out at all.

But if we were to say, "Let's try
and get rid of single-use plastic,"

maybe the cheese is the first thing
to go, maybe we start saying,

"Buy a block,
don't buy a big block."

I'm going to say no.

There ain't no ifs or buts,
I want my cheese like that.

Because that's how
I enjoy my cheese.

Finished, no waste.
But there is plastic waste.

There's no food waste,
but there's plastic waste.

Someone's got to convince me
that to go without my cheese

is sufficient enough
to go without plastic,

I've got to go without that cheese,
it's going to be a hard argument.

I think Kay represents
lots of people.

I'm not shocked by what
she's got in her fridge.

She likes to buy cheese and every
argument that she's got makes sense.

But Kay's going to be a challenge.

I'm cutting some chicken up
for the cat.

You carry on, Kay.

I'm doing some cheese research here.

8.12 a kilo.

Look, you can buy...

They've got mature cheddar.

It's cheaper than
your mini six-pack.

And you can buy as much as you want.

Yeah, but, having said that,
if I cut a piece off the block,

it can go off.

It won't go off, it doesn't go off.

Just buy 100g.

That's 81p you've spent.

Just buy 100g,
you'll eat it in a week.

That's it, a piece a day.

20g a day, that's five days.

You like to eat one a day.

That's five days, done.

Yeah, OK.

Your argument is good.

I know it's good.

I'll give you ten out of ten
for that one.

In the UK, we are using
2.2 million tonnes of plastic

packaging every year.

While Anita and the street focus
on what they're putting

in the fridge, I want to explore
the plastic we grab to keep us

going when we're on the go.

There's one plastic-packed
product we love so much,

that last year in the UK,
we bought nearly 8 billion of them.

Why are we so obsessed
with bottled water?

What do we think is in it?

What do we think it's doing for us?

Why are we prepared to pay
so much money for it?

This is what I want
to get to the bottom of.

And in order to do that,
I've hatched a little plan.

I think it's time to give
good old tap water

the bottled water makeover.

I'm planning a slick marketing
launch in Central London.

But to pull that off,
I reckon it's not just the water

that'll need an image reboot.

I'm thinking probably the right
persona for selling this lovely

new bottled water is
a sort of hipster-y thing.

I mean, obviously, I'm going to need
a beard.

I'm putting myself in the hands
of make-up artist Ella Jones.

OK. Well,
we've got a beard here.

I'll put some paint
through it and try and match it

up to your own hair a bit more.

When you say paint, you mean grey?

You're going
to salt-and-pepper the beard?

Just a few flecks
of different colours,

I think, to break it up a bit.

How about a neck tattoo?

Oh, a neck tattoo, do you think?

That's a bit scary.

I think it would be quite
cool for your hipster...

Is it hipster?
Is it hipster to have a neck tattoo?

I would say it's hipster.

Who wants to try the coolest
new water in London?

Those in the know, drink Tapineau.

Come and try some water.

Have a taste.

It's good and cold.

Do you buy bottled water?
Yes.

Do you? Yes.

How often? Every day.
Every day.

Three out of five of you
have bottled water.

I'd really love you to try MY water.

This will be available
everywhere in England.

It's good.
Am I on to something?

Gorgeous water.
Is it? Yes.

Thirsty, thirsty?

What I like is smart water,
because it's ionised,

you know, electrolysed.

Is that good for your health?

Yeah, that's what I'm told.

Where do you think it comes from?
Can you tell by the taste?

From the mountain?

The clue's in the name.
The water is in fact from the tap.

Really?

Oh, it's tap water? Tap.

Oh, yeah, fantastic.

Oh, seriously?

But you must process it,
you're not just...

Tapping the tap water.

No, I am. No, I am. Really?

That's exactly what I'm doing.

I'm giving it away, so that people
understand just how good

tap water is.
Oh, my gosh.

Thank you.
Do you like it? Yes.

We're in the know,
we drink Tapineau!

Tapineau might have passed the taste
test, but it also shows how much

we believe the bottled
water marketing hype.

Live young!

Pure life.

"I'm 100% natural,"
printed on the plastic.

I'm at the University
of the West of England with

Professor of Health and Environment,
Darren Reynolds.

He's been running tests on the UK's
top-six leading brands to see

if they offer any health benefits
over what comes out of our taps.

What are the key minerals in
mineral water that people reckon

are good for them?

OK, so we test for a whole
range of minerals,

but the two I think people
will be most familiar with

are calcium and magnesium.

And we need both those things.
We need both of those things.

They're in our foods
and in the water we drink.

Give me some scores, Darren.

Give me some mineral levels
for these waters.

OK, if we look at Highland Spring,

we get about 35mg
per litre of calcium.

Buxton, about 58 or so.

Volvic here, between 12 or 15.

Evian, 80 or so.

Smartwater, it's about 60.

And then we've got
Nestle Pure Life, about 28.

So you can see we've got lots
and lots of variation

in the mineral content
of all of those waters.

They've all got calcium in.

Where does the tap water come in?

Well, the tap water,
if we draw the line here,

we're looking at about
75 or so milligrams per litre

of calcium present in tap water.

It's a similar picture
for magnesium.

Mineral levels in tap water
do vary around the country,

but, generally,
they are in a similar range

to those in bottled water.

Would you say categorically
that anybody who buys bottled water,

thinking that it's better
for their health than tap water,

is wrong?

Yes.

There's no evidence anywhere
in the world of science

that any of these waters do
anything for you physically

that tap water doesn't do?

No, there is no evidence whatsoever.

That water you get from your tap
is perfectly safe.

And you don't get a load
of plastic with it, either.

How much more expensive
is bottled water?

I think if you took
a very conservative estimate,

it would be about 500 times
more expensive.

So if I were to take you for a pint,
that would be the equivalent

of spending £2,000
to £2,500 for a pint.

And who would be mad enough
to do that? Not me.

I think it would be
your round, I think!

I certainly feel like I've seen
and heard enough to be convinced

that bottled water doesn't taste
any better than tap water,

it isn't any better for you
than tap water.

But there is another reason,
I think, why so many of us

keep on buying it.

Because it's so convenient.

And it's that convenience
I'll need to tackle next.

It's a week after the big plastic
count on the street in East Bristol.

The realities of the challenge
of reducing their plastic

are dawning on the residents,
especially in one key area.

Single-use plastic.

I've been getting very frustrated.

All three meals of my day involved
buying something wrapped in plastic.

Lots of plastic.

In a shell, in a packet.

Some people on the street
are trying out alternatives,

where they can find them.

Just come out of the deli, which
does have a reasonable selection.

However, the prices
are just not going to work.

But it's not only Carlene
in the organic deli who have seen

the hike in price.

Plastic-free, £1.60 for four.

Whereas the ones in plastic,
you could get six for 78p.

Along with Saskie, several others
mention the challenge of buying

loose products in the supermarket
on a budget.

I want to dig a bit deeper,
so I've asked Carlene

if she can help me out
with a bit of research.

She's taking reusable packaging,
Tupperware and old plastic bags

to a large supermarket.

Morning.

Are you ready for
your shopping trip?

Bigger stores have a wider selection
of loose fruit and veg and now often

let you fill your own reusable
containers at the counters.

Along with her friend Sara,
Carlene's buying the ingredients

for a spaghetti bolognese
without single-use plastic.

Remember, it's no bags.

That's the natural reaction,
isn't it?

While I'm buying the packaged
versions of the same ingredients.

I can't wait to compare our spag bol
hauls back at Carlene's.

Let's see how much we paid. OK.

Tomatoes.
All right, brilliant.

So, you reused a bag.

How satisfying is it, reusing it?
It was good, it was.

You'll get another go
out of that, as well.

Go on, how much did you spend?

£1.66.

Oh, God.
I spent 69p.

OK, carrots.

53p.

Again, I've beaten you.
43p.

Have a look at cheese.

When Carlene asked for cheddar
from the deli counter

without packaging,
she was told it had already been cut

and wrapped and, again,
it was more expensive than mine.

It doesn't make sense, does it?
It doesn't, no.

Why don't you tell me
what yours is and I'll tell you

what my shopping came to.
OK.

£13.03.

Oh, God.
Mine was £8.77.

That's a big difference, isn't it?

And this is just one meal.

Imagine what that's like
for a weekly shop,

if you've got two or three kids.

That's a big difference.

I'm amazed by this
huge price difference.

But perhaps the ingredients for
spag bol are a freak result.

So, we've taken the research into
the two largest supermarket chains,

Tesco's and Sainsbury's,
one step further.

The government have a basket
of products that we all buy

that they use to measure inflation.

So what we did, compared the prices
of the things you can buy loose

to their direct comparison packaged.

So, tomatoes, for instance,
we bought packaged tomatoes

and then we bought the cheapest
loose tomatoes available.

So Tesco's, our shop came to £59.91.

The same products packaged
came to £42.08.

Think about that.

It is nearly 42% more expensive
to buy them loose.

It doesn't make sense, does it?

So then we moved on to Sainsbury's.

Almost 19% difference.

It's crazy.

I think the only way to understand
this is to talk to the supermarkets.

Dear Tesco...

Dear Sainsbury's...

I am very interested to learn
about how the supermarket

is addressing the issue
of single-use plastic packaging.

Some plastic food packaging does
serve a purpose beyond convenience.

For example, helping
preserve foods through long

supermarket supply chains.

And that seems reasonable,
if the plastic gets recycled.

But how well is our
recycling system working?

If we're going to find the right
solutions to the plastic problem,

that's something I need to find out.

Almost half of us admit to arguing
at home about which plastics

can be recycled.

So how confident are we about what's
meant to go in the recycling bin

and what should be consigned
to the black bin?

Hi, there.

A little quiz for you today.

Everything I'm going to give you
is plastic,

but you've got to decide
whether it is recyclable or not.

Oh, no.

Here's your starter for ten.

What about this?

Plastic.

Yeah, I'd recycle that.

Definitely.

Plastic bottles are collected
for recycling everywhere.

Time to up the ante with round two.

What about that one?

Flash.

I'd go general.
No, plastic. Really?

OK, this one is a bugger.

Take the top off, because
that's too many mixed things.

Actually, trigger bottles
for household cleaners

can be recycled after a quick rinse,
and with the trigger on.

It's got that sort of
high-pitched crinkle.

I wouldn't recycle that, though.

I haven't got a clue.

Got to make a decision.

Well, OK, if it comes down to it,
it's plastic, it's going in.

Unlucky.

Though the crinkle factor
is relevant.

Plastic bags that don't stretch,
and sound crinkly, are made

of laminated polypropylene,
which is not recyclable.

Oh, I don't know.
Does it say on the packaging?

Do you ever look?
No.

Lid foil on tub, check locally.
Probably Birmingham...

Doesn't give me enough
information, so...

I don't know now,
you're putting me under pressure.

Go on, put it in.
It's probably wrong.

Even your quizmaster
is out of clear answers.

77% of councils,
including here in Birmingham,

do encourage us to recycle
pots, tubs and trays.

But others don't want them.

A lot of it depends
where you live.

It's the same with other
types of plastic.

You can recycle...

Because some councils will take it.

Most of them won't.

There's not necessarily
a right and wrong answer.

I'm inclined to put it in there.

I'm inclined to put
it in general waste.

I think the first thing
I should do is take advice,

because I don't know.

When you consider that there
are over 400 councils in the UK and,

between them, they have 39 different
sets of rules for recycling,

then maybe it's not surprising
that we're all a bit confused.

And even if we do manage to get the
right plastic into the right bins,

what actually happens to our
recycling after it's collected

by our councils?

I've been digging deep into various
websites that keep a track

of what we're doing with our
waste and with our plastics

and our recycling.

And it's instantly obvious
that we are not dealing

with our plastics at home.

That 665,000 tonnes of our plastics
are being exported every year.

Most used to go to China.

But, from 2018, the Chinese
banned imports, due to mounting

environmental concerns.

And so we've found
other places to send it.

At the moment, the UK is exporting
plastics to over a dozen countries.

But the biggest number by far,
importing 129,000 tonnes

of our plastics, is Malaysia.

So if I want to find out what's
really happening to our recycling,

I'm going to have to go
a long way from home.

I'm heading for a small
town called Jenjarom,

close to Malaysia's main seaport.

Hello.

One of you is CK? Yes.

Hello, hi.

I'm, Hugh.
Shall I jump in with you?

Sure. Let's go. Let's go.

Town resident CK Lee is one
of the founding members of a local

environmental action group.

They formed in July last year,
after realising that an influx

of imported plastics had led
to a massive increase

in plastic processing businesses.

Not all of them are legal and CK
has offered to sneak me into one

of the 33 local sites
that have been discovered

operating without licences.

This is used as the factory's
dump site, we believe.

Look at this, it's awful.

It is awful.

After CK's group repeatedly
reported this site

to the authorities,
it was finally shut down

a few weeks ago.

It's clear it was used
for some sort of processing.

We believe that the factory picked
what they wanted to be processed,

and what they do not want,
they just dump it here.

And what they do not want is a lot.

Yes, it is a lot,
and it's a whole mess...

And totally stored
in an illegal manner.

You know, without dykes,
and the effluent just flows

into the adjoining lands.

There is a drain just here.

There is a little stream right
between these two huge piles.

And look at all these tiny,
tiny particles of plastic here.

Look at that.

I mean, that's the kind of stuff
that could get into the watercourse.

It is getting into the watercourse,
because this is the watercourse.

Yes, that's correct.

It goes to, you know,
a common drain, and then it flows

to the river.

The group soon realised that most
of the plastic in these sites

is being shipped in from abroad.

I see a Tesco bag,
but I know you've got

Tesco over here.

That's one for you, Hugh.

Look.

Oh, dear, Paddington Bear
on an M&S carrier bag.

Drinkaware.co.uk.

That's pounds sterling.

We're in the UK, aren't we?

We couldn't be anywhere else.

I could put it in this bag and take
it back to show people in the UK.

I'm interested in these big bags.

I'm pretty sure that's Welsh.

I am a recycling bag.

Rhondda, that's Wales.

Yeah, Hugh, we don't
like this stuff.

UK, being a leader in humanity,
in human decency,

environment protection, please
keep up with the good work,

but please don't dump
what you do not want

at our back yard.

You are rich,
you have the resources.

We are a developing nation.

Stop the exporting of your
plastic waste to our country.

I completely hear you.

Why should our waste end up
here for you guys to deal with?

Yes.

Let's go on.
We've got to go.

Somebody is coming.

Our lookout called to say
they think someone is onto us.

Let's go now.

Yeah, we're coming,
CK, we're coming.

Since the authorities began closing
illegal facilities in this town,

there have been increasing
reports of large piles

of foreign plastics elsewhere.

On a tip-off, I'm heading
250km north,

to an industrial area
near the city of Ipoh.

We have been cross-referencing some
of our research with the Greenpeace

office here in Malaysia.

And they have just pinged me
some coordinates.

Wow, look at that!

What a mess!

That's insane.

Jesus, I've never seen
anything like that.

There doesn't seem
to be anyone here.

At least for the moment.

See if we can get through here.

It's like some dystopian nightmare.

It looks like another planet.

It's like a plastic planet.

Left exposed to sun and rain,
these mountains of broken bales

and mixed plastics are clearly
never going to be recycled.

And it's only moments
before I start finding things

that are all-too familiar.

Sainsbury's, Sainsbury's,
Sainsbury's.

Sainsbury's, Sainsbury's,
Sainsbury's.

And Sainsbury's.

Guys, you really shouldn't
make your bags bright orange.

You're making it too easy for me.

Braintree District Council.

Essex's finest.

And it's not just Essex.

We've got Milton Keynes here.

We don't want unrecyclable rubbish.

I mean, the whole thing's
just nuts, isn't it?

Something really sticks out,
there is Utterly Butterly.

It's the other side
of this horrendous trench.

That's pretty familiar.

Celebrations.

Milky Way.

M&S. Some cleaning
product from Aldi.

I've got Sainsbury's,
I've got M&S, I've got Asda,

I've got Aldi.

This bale of plastics may not
be related to the council bags

I've found, but it is mainly
made up of the pots,

tubs and trays that most UK councils
tell us they ARE recycling.

Look at the size of this site.

And what sort of chain is it in?

What's the destiny of this bale?

When we put this in our
recycling, back in the UK,

we think we're doing
the right thing.

I do my recycling
and I feel good about it.

At least, I used to.

What do you think?

I don't feel so good now.

I feel embarrassed, I feel ashamed.

I feel angry, I feel
I've been lied to.

And I really want to know
who is responsible

for this horrendous mess?

Is it our local councils?

Is it our government?

Is it our supermarkets?

Is it the manufacturers
of these goods?

They're all in it together.

We're all part of this problem,
and now we have to stop.

Take a long hard look at this stuff,
take a long hard look at this.

And work out the right way to do
things and stop sending our

plastic garbage thousands
of miles over the sea.

I'll take all this up with
government and big business

back in the UK.

But aside from vast piles like this,
there's a whole different problem

foreign plastics are adding to.

Greenpeace Malaysia's Heng Kiah Chun

tells me about another
grave concern.

This is plastic
going up in smoke here.

You can see all the plastic.

That's horrendous.

And this is just...
The smoke looks really toxic.

It's just one part, and I can see
we have many parts.

There are many open burnings.

This is normal, just to see
this plastic open burning? Yeah.

We also received some complaints
by the local community

that they also suffer from...

Respiratory problems?

Yes.

A lot of families in this small town
are convinced that their health

is being affected by the smoke
from this open burning.

I've come to meet one of them.

Hello, I'm Hugh.

How are you?
Fine.

Can I come in?

Goodness me, hello, everybody.

Hello.
ALL: Hello.

Hi, how are you all?

What a gathering!

Who would like to speak a little bit
about the experience

you've been having here?

SHE SPEAKS IN HER OWN LANGUAGE

How is this affecting your family,
how is it for you?

Are you feeling well today?
No.

No?
Why not, what happens?

Because my nose is bleeding,
my eyes are itchy.

The air is smelly.

Oh, my God.

That's you.

How did you feel when you had this?

Sad. Sad?

SHE SNEEZES

When was this?

This morning.
This morning?

How many times has this happened
in the last couple of years?

Every time.

I'm sorry.

That was very intense and
compelling.

And the extra dimension,
the substance that you think

is harming your child,
is being sent across thousands

of miles by other countries,
who don't even know what's happening

to it when it gets here.

It just makes it so much worse.

Where single-use packaging
really is necessary,

recycling it is still
the best option.

But we can help ease the pressure
on the struggling system by reducing

the amount of plastic
we're pumping into it.

And on the street in Bristol,
Anna's on a reduction mission.

Have you signed up yet?

I have.
Oh, you have?

Have you had a chance
to look at the website?

No, I haven't.

She's found that the street
can have their milk delivered

the old way, in reusable
glass bottles.

To find out how successful
she's been, I'm joining the local

milkman, Mark Green.

This is a sort of secret
fantasy of mine.

I've always wanted to deliver milk.
Yeah.

We buy 5.5 billion litres of milk
a year and 80% of it

comes in single-use plastic.

But at 81p a pint for Mark,
getting it delivered in glass does

cost significantly more than
picking it up in the supermarket.

A month ago, how many bottles
of milk did you deliver

to this street?

I had one call in this street,
that was it. And now?

And now I've got 16, 17
here now, so it's just

gone crazy, really.

Almost half the street have decided
that ditching this daily dose

of plastic is worth
paying the extra per pint.

And for one house,
the delivery isn't for milk at all.

No milk today, but just cheese.

Just cheese for Kay.

Come on in.

How are you? Lovely to see you, Kay.

It's a small victory,
but it's a big moment.

And it's less hassle
than the packets, really,

if the truth be told.

I do fiddle about, but once...

Successes on the street,
combined with the problems

I've seen our plastics
causing in Malaysia,

are spurring me on to find ways
of breaking our bottled water habit.

Sales were up by 7% last year,
and I suspect that a large part

of this is driven by convenience.

So it's great to see the refill
scheme on our high street gaining

momentum, urging cafes,
restaurants and shops to offer

free water refills for all.

But there's one massive sector

that's failing to rise
to the moment.

Just out on the road today.

I was very thirsty.

It's a bit of a shame that the only
water you can really buy

is in a plastic bottle.

It's just plastic bottles.

Plastic bottles.
Plastic bottle.

We are clearly finding it hard
to avoid plastic bottles

when we're thirsty on the road,
which explains why we are spending

an estimated £60 million a year
on bottled water in petrol stations.

So how about the
plastic-free alternative of filling

a reusable bottle?

Time to pose as a parched traveller.

Hi, is it possible to get
a water bottle refill here?

Well, that was interesting.

He said, "No, I'm afraid not,
we can't do that."

I said, "Why not?
Is there not a tap?"

He said, "Not really."

And then his colleague
next to him said,

"You could fill it up
in our staff kitchen."

No official policy of refill.

One of them didn't want to do it,
the other one said,

"Come on, we can help the guy out,"
and we got there in the end.

Shell Select.

Still no signage.

Any chance of a refill
for my water bottle?

Thank you very much.
Cheers!

But, a tap in the little kitchen
area and the guy was very happy

to fill up for me.

I did ask, how often does he
actually fill up somebody's water
bottle.

He said, "Maybe once
or twice a week."

And then I asked him how many
bottles of water he sold every day.

50 or 60.

By being polite and persistent,
I am getting my bottle refilled.

But there's no signage, no
refill points, and basically,

no encouragement at all.

OK, let's check out
this Esso garage.

And sometimes, the only refill
option is not very appealing.

And that's drinking water?

OK.

Interesting.

Just behind the litter bin...

It's not exactly what I'd
call a drinking fountain.

Between them, our petrol stations

have 8,400 forecourts
across the country.

They could do so much
better than this.

"Hey, @Esso, @Shell, @BP,
helpful staff have been

"filling up my water bottle,
but none of you seem to have signs

"or proper refill stations.

"Who's up for making it easier for
us to get free drinking water

"when we travel?"

Selling water in plastic bottles
is incredibly profitable.

£2.4 billion worth of business
in the UK last year.

So we have to decide.

Are we going to fuel that profit,
or is it time to insist that fresh,

clean, drinking water is freely
available wherever we go?

Over a third of all our plastic
packaging comes from one source -

the supermarkets.

Tesco's and Sainsbury's
still haven't agreed to meet me.

But it's not just me
that's getting frustrated.

The residents on the street
in Bristol are finding it impossible

to shop in a supermarket
without bringing home

yet more plastic.

Maybe we do need to kind of do
something where we become

more visible as a group
that have come together.

What could we do, what do you think?

What about an action day?

Have a day of action,
actually do something?

That's what they did in Germany.

In the big supermarkets,
people started buying their veg,

undoing it there and then,
leaving it in a pile.

Don't take it home.

You don't want to litter the
supermarket, but the supermarket

have given you the litter.

So, we do it.
Let's all...

Our next shop.

A typical street just a few weeks
ago, this group of neighbours

are now planning their own activism
by handing back the

plastic packaging they don't want.

Not in-store, not offshore.

No more plastic.

Can I do hearts?

And they are taking on the nation's
biggest supermarket chain.

I'm just going into Tesco Express

to notify them of our
visit on Saturday -

what we intend to do.

On the morning of their plastic
rebellion, I come along to see

how it goes down.

Oh, amazing.

Good work, girls.

Just a couple of months ago,
this was a street that pulled out

all their single-use plastic
and we had a river of it.

And now look at them.

They're about to go
and do their shopping

and leave their plastic at Tesco,
to tell them, "We don't need it,

"we don't want it."

..Tesco?
Sorry?

Is this anything to do with Tesco?

We...

Some people have been in touch
with you, some people who live

locally are doing a shop and they're
going to leave you with the plastic.

They got in touch with you
to let you know.

OK, thank you very much,
that's nice to know.

Thank you.

If someone's dropped
a letter off to tell you

that this is happening,
you'd hope that somebody

would pay attention.

Supermarkets produce
over 810,000 tonnes

of plastic packaging every year.

If I whack all my stuff in here...

What's that you've got there?

Swede.
It's a strange idea.

Some does help to preserve food,
but, often, its main purpose

is to boost sales by carrying
an attractive label or creating

a multipack, and this can encourage
us to buy more than we may need,

and increase food waste.

Yeah, I've got the press office
on the phone.

They want to talk to you.
OK. Hello?

It's just a group
of local residents.

I did drop a letter in.

We're just trying
to raise some awareness.

All right, bye-bye.

Thank you.
No problem.

90%, if not more, of the stuff
that I bought was in plastic.

It's now all in here.
So where's it going to go?

We're going to ask them
what do they do?

It's their rubbish now.
What do Tesco do with it?

Good luck. Yes.
Thank you.

After the call from the press
office, there is a sudden

change of tone.

I'm glad to take the plastic,
because we recycle it.

Thank you.

In fact, I think I've got
a cage out the back, so...

Oh, do you?
What do you do with the...

It gets sent back to head office.
Not head office,

that would be silly, it gets sent
back to a distribution centre,

where it gets recycled.

And I'm delighted
to recycle this for you.

Thank you.

The chap who works in there
had a big smile on his face

and said, "Yeah,
great, we'll take it."

But we know for a fact
that a lot of that plastic,

you can't recycle.

The stuff that the grapes come in,
that crinkly plastic.

Loads of it, you can't
do anything with.

If only they'd agree to meet me,

I could discuss
all of this with them.

The press office know
what we're doing,

they've had an e-mail from me.

They know this has gone down today
and they should definitely think,

"I know, we'll get someone
to talk to Anita."

That's the most obvious
thing to do, right?

They've got nothing to hide.

My call out to help us avoid bottled
water when we're on the road has got

a positive response.

Both BP and Shell have replied
to my tweet calling for water points

in petrol stations.

They say they think it's a good idea
and that they'll explore it further.

I want to convert this positive
engagement into delivery.

I want to see actual
water refill stations

in the forecourts really soon.

So, I want to find a way
to keep the pressure up.

I think a really good way to do
that is to engage the people

who really use the roads and
who need to slake their thirst

as they are pounding up and down
the country every single day.

Kings Haulage run a fleet of trucks
that travel the length and breadth

of the country.

Morning. Hello.

Are you Nick? Good morning, I am.

Business operations manager
Nick Gingell says this is a cause

he'd like to support.

Gosh, and there is a case of
bottled water right on the front

of your desk. We see a lot of that.

So, a lot of them will have these
multipacks of bottles in their cab.

So, as an alternative approach

to keeping your drivers
well-watered...

Looks good.

Are there some here
I can have a word with?

Yes, there's a handful there now.

The business of the nation's
truckers is worth over £8 billion

a year to the fuel companies.

So, I can't help thinking this group
of road users could be hugely

influential in the
refill revolution.

This is our motley crew.

But I will need to get them onside.

Good morning.

So...

..you're all on a break?

Yes.

I've got a few of these,
pass them round.

This is potentially the beginning
of something where you and truckers

all over the UK could start
to make a noise saying,

"We come and buy your petrol and we
stop and spend our money with you,

"one thing we wouldn't mind not
paying for, from here on in,

"is the water."

You're looking at me like
you think I'm slightly nuts.

I think this is an
absolutely amazing idea.

It would be nice to have
a dedicated station, yeah.

It does sound good.

What sort of social media, Facebook,
what sort of conversations

are going on on truckers'
Facebook pages?

LAUGHTER

I shouldn't really ask
that question, should I?

Is there room in the world
of trucker social media

for a conversation about water?

Sure, yeah. Of course there will be.

Great, my first group
of crusading truckers.

Everybody look
at me, saying, "sausages".

But for the petrol stations
to feel the pressure,

we need to get the word out across
the whole trucking community.

Where would be a good place
to post those pictures?

The HGV drivers' advice group, which
a lot of the lads subscribe to.

TruckNet UK. We've got
76,000 members.

Soon, posters and bottles
are going out to trucking companies

all around the country.

And posts start flooding
in of their experiences.

Like me, many drivers
are getting refills,

but only now they've
been encouraged to ask.

After all this activity,
Shell have told me that they are now

trialling a clearly signed
refill offering

in 30 of their petrol stations.

So, of course, we asked Shell
if we could film the trial and get

some of the reactions
of their customers.

But they said no.

In fact, they wouldn't even
tell us which petrol stations

are running the trial.

So, I'm really sorry,
but if they won't tell me,

then I can't tell you.

But there is one thing we can all do
if we want this thing to take off,

and that's take our water bottles
with us whenever we are on the road,

and go into petrol stations
up and down the land

and ask for a refill.

After a couple of months
of back-and-forths with Tesco

on e-mail, and after the street
handing back their plastic

at their local store,

Britain's largest supermarket chain
are now happy to meet me.

No doubt I will be confronted
with the Tesco PR machine,

so I'm going to go armed

with a little something
up my sleeve.

I am at Tesco HQ, to meet the
person in charge of packaging

across all their 3,400 UK stores.

She's Group Quality
Director Sarah Bradbury.

Hello, Sarah, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

How are you doing?
Very good, thank you.

I just wanted to know
what your policy is

and what your thinking
is around plastic packaging.

Our policy is to reduce packaging,
to ensure we can re-use it,

and to recycle it, as well.

But we must look at it at
the same time as food waste.

For us and for people on our street,
it is about this plastic reduction

that's the important thing.

And to have the option to
not buy in plastic. Yeah.

In fact, I was in one
of your Tesco's today.

I want you to see what I bought.

Here we go, I've got...

..three peppers.

And these ones are that much.

Three peppers.

There we go.

Now, which ones would you choose
to buy if you had the choice?

So, I know that these
would be the loose products,

and these would be the products
that are in the packaging.

So, what we have got loose
at the moment is slightly bigger

varieties of product.

However, we are looking at this,
because we absolutely recognise

we need to encourage customers
to buy without packaging.

And at the moment,
the price difference...

That's not a choice, is it?
..doesn't help.

And the packaging is
this polypropylene,

crinkly packaging,
that can't be recycled.

So, we're reviewing these products,

but we do think our absolute focus
is to move towards

this recycling loop.

What about just getting rid
of the plastic in the first place?

Just not having it in the system,
by offering vegetables loose?

So, that's what we're
doing in three stores.

We will be doing that within
the next couple of months,

to ensure we take out the packaging,
where we believe

it's the right thing to do.

So, does that mean if I go into,
because I will... Yes!

I will be going in, but does
that mean I will be able

to have the choice,
a realistic choice to be able

to buy your loose fruit
and veg at the same price,

if not cheaper, than
the ones in plastic?

We will make sure we've
got a competitive price.

What does competitive mean?

We have to look at it in totality.

You're absolutely right.

I need to make sure
that we have a pepper

that is matching on price
from the three that we've got now.

OK, at least Tesco's
are doing something,

but, to be honest, a trial
in a handful of stores,

I just don't think it's big enough.

And the more I look into this,
the more I'm utterly convinced

that it's supermarkets that
should be leading the change.

And I mean you, Tesco,
Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons.

All the supermarkets.

Do something bold.

How about giving us a real
choice to be able to shop

without single-use plastic?

Because we know you can do it.

So, now...the ball's in your court.

Next time, Anita looks
at the plastics we use

in the bathroom, and lets the
street into a dirty secret.

Why are you doing this to us?!

While I discover plastics hidden
in the very air we are breathing...

Just the City of London borough,
two billion plastic fibres each day.

..and file my Malaysian discovery
firmly in the government's in-tray.

Plastic waste...

Yes. ..that I found in
Malaysia from the UK.

Yes, that's terrible.