The first nation-wide Mass Unwrap is underway. How can you join in?

From the 3^rd to the 10^th of March, Surfers Against Sewage have organised a series of Mass Unwrap events in supermarkets across the UK to call for action to tackle wasteful and avoidable single-use plastic.

Mass Unwrap is a fun, high-impact action that highlights exactly how much plastic waste is produced in UK supermarkets after every shop. The event involves people across the country leaving their excess plastic waste at the till, instead of taking it home.

The events are being coordinated by Surfers Against Sewage volunteer community leaders and were successfully launched on Sunday 3^rd March in Anglesey, Carbis Bay, Totnes and West Hampstead.

Details for Mass Unwrap events happening this week are as follows:

• Booths Supermarket, Gartsang                11am – 1pm, 7^th March
• Co-Op, Bingley                                                1.30pm – 3.30pm, 9^th March
• Waitrose, Crouch End, London                9.30am – 11.30am, 9^th March
• Lidl, Crowthorne                                            10am – 12pm, 9^th March
• Co-Op, Crowthorne                                       10am – 12pm, 9^th March
• Lidl, Falmouth                                                 11am – 1pm, 9^th March
• Sainsbury’s, Falmouth                                 11am – 1pm, 9^th March
• Tesco, Formby                                                 1pm – 3pm, 9^th March
• Tesco Express Mortimer                             10am – 12pm, 9^th March
• Sainsbury’s, Ladbroke Grove                   11am – 2pm, 9^th March
• Morrisons, Long Rock, Penzance           11am – 1pm, 9^th March
• Tesco, Branwell Lane, Penzance             11am – 1pm, 9^th March
• Co-Op, Station Road, Perranporth         10am – 2pm, 9^th March
• Co-Op, Boscawen Road, Perranporth   10am – 2pm, 9^th March
• Co-Op, Lias Road, Porthcawl                    10.30am–12.30pm, 9th March
• Co-Op, Bolton Bridge Rd, Ilkley              10am – 12pm, 9^th March
• Morrisons, Woking                                       2.30pm – 4.30pm, 9^th March
• Morrisons, Abergvenny                              12pm – 2pm, 10^th March
• Budgens, Mortimer                                       11am – 1pm, 10^th March
• Sainsbury’s, Ferndown                               10am – 12pm, 10^th March
• Morrisons, Newquay                                    11am – 12pm, 10^th March
• Sainsbury’s, Penzance                                11.30am – 1.30pm, 10^th March

Volunteers unwrapping unnecessary plastic packaging at a supermarket in Anglesey on Sunday 3rd March

59 billion pieces of plastic packaging are distributed by supermarkets every year, that’s 112 thousand pieces every minute!*

We are calling on shoppers to join an organised Mass Unwrap at one of the above events.  Do  your weekly food shop, remove any plastic from produce and hand it back to the supermarket, sending a message that they must stop creating a mountain of plastic waste. During the event all pieces of wasteful plastic will be counted and the evidence shared back with businesses and government, to inform upcoming changes in policy.

Please check the Mass Unwrap events map for new events which will be registered during the week here: https://www.sas.org.uk/regions-reps/

*Stats: Environmental Investigation Agency/Greenpeace ‘Checking Out on Plastics’ report