“Mass unwrap” staged to highlight issues of single use plastics

A group of residents recently invited Aldi shoppers in Llangollen to join them in saying “no thank you” to single use plastic packaging.

Plastic Free Llangollen held a mass unwrap at the start of September to highlight the issue of plastic waste and to show supermarkets that “many customers do not want a lot of unnecessary packaging.”

It is estimated that eight million pieces of plastic waste enter our oceans every day.

Plastic packaging is a particular concern because it’s used for so little time, but the waste can last for hundreds of years. Whilst many shoppers are increasingly aware of the issue, avoiding plastic packaging is not always easy.

Llangollen has already taken some big steps forward with local people and businesses getting behind the Plastic Free Llangollen campaign.

However, the new group who came together following a meeting in the town to discuss the climate emergency, say there’s still plenty more to do.

As part of this they organised a mass unwrap at the Aldi store in Llangollen.

“It’s very simple – everyone is doing their shopping as normal, but on the way out they’re leaving any items of plastic packaging they don’t want with us,” explained Eleri, who took part in this month’s event.

“Aldi have agreed to take all the plastic at the end of the day, so that it can be recycled where possible.

“Lots of people have been taking part and we’ve collected enough to fill a trolley in just two hours, which shows how much excess packaging there is.”

“The purpose of a mass unwrap is to highlight the issue of plastic waste and also show supermarkets that many customers do not want a lot of unnecessary packaging. We’d like to be able to do our shopping without feeling guilty about creating lots of waste we neither want or need.”

One of those taking part was Harri, aged 5 who added: “I’m worried about the whales and the sharks, because I love animals and I want to help them and the planet.

“I’ve cleaned plastic rubbish from beaches and I want the shops to stop using so plastic too.”