British people admit to ignoring environmental concerns to make their lives easier

Green Solutions

Many of us admit to ignoring environmental concerns to make our lives easier, a new study has found.

A poll of 2000 adults found despite 87% agreeing on the importance of being green, more than half believe it is often ‘inconvenient’.

Three in 10 admit binning plastic food containers rather than washing them out and recycling it.

Almost half pay for plastic bags with their shopping to save them having to remember to carry a reusable bag around, and 27% often use a tumble dryer instead of hanging washing out to dry.

Others admit buying paint in a plastic pot rather than a metal can that can be recycled at most household waste and recycling centres.

Environmental concerns also go out the window amid boiling a kettle filled with more water than we need and having the heating turned up high all the time.

A spokesman for Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association, which commissioned the research, said: ‘Our results found the vast majority of Brits are keen on the idea of being green.

‘Unfortunately, it often only takes the slightest inconvenience to knock all of the wind out of our sails and we wind up doing things that are easy – but not great for the planet.

‘But we do also look to retailers and manufacturers to make it clear how we can be more environmentally friendly when we use their products.

‘Those on-pack recycling logos and instructions clearly matter.’

The study also found a quarter of Brits have thrown food away which could have been eaten or reused in some way, and a third are happy to jump in the car when they could easily walk the distance.

More than half pick up disposable batteries rather than ones they need to recharge and 37% have bought a bottle of water when they could have used one from home.

It also emerged a fifth of respondents would go as far as to say they feel that being environmentally and ecologically friendly is a ‘burden’ on their lives.

A quarter think it is too expensive, and one in five simply don’t believe their contribution will make a difference to the future.

However, 65% of respondents do worry about the impact of people not being environmentally friendly on future generations.

The research, carried out via OnePoll, also found almost 70% believe retailers aren’t doing enough to present the recycling attributes of the products they sell.

Another 83% believe retailers should make it crystal clear whether a packet, pot or parcel can be recycled or not.