Drivers of Public Plastic (Mis)Use – New Insights from Changes in Single-Use Plastic Usage During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic (CoVID-19) has changed how people interact with their environment and resource use, with changing priorities and competing public health factors impacting pro-environmental behaviours at individual, societal, business and political levels.We used data from an online plastic footprint calculator to explore temporal changes, purchasing patterns and consumer behaviours around plastic use during the pandemic. The calculator recorded information on use of on-the-go plastic items, alongside activities engaged in whilst outside the home. We hypothesised that:1) people’s behaviours around plastic use changed in response to the pandemic and related government restrictions;2) single-use plastic use decreased during periods of lockdown due to restrictions against leaving home.The calculator received 1,936 responses, with 13,544 plastic items recorded. Most used were food wrappers (54%), takeaway containers (12%) and bottles (9%). Six out of seven items showed increased use during lockdowns. Three times more bottles were used, food wrapper consumption almost doubled, and takeaway container use more than doubled. Results indicate people found it harder to avoid single-use plastic during lockdown, supporting related evidence that plastic use can be driven by a perception of hygiene benefits and lack of “safe” alternatives. Our results also indicate potential opportunities to reduce single-use plastic consumption and we provide examples of where these have succeeded:- government-led guidance can support consumer choices for reduced plastic use, encourage use of reusables and dispel myths around hygiene- increased provision of alternatives by businesses and public sector can reduce reliance on single-use plasticsOur findings evidence the effectiveness of government top-down action, and the need for further policy to encourage increased use of reusables - targeting businesses as well as the general public. The sudden increase in plastic waste due to the COVID-19 pandemic amplifies the need to substantiate plastic reduction policy promises without further delay.