UK’s Christmas Recycling Blunders Create 47 Million Plastic Tub Tidal Wave

New research has exposed the hidden environmental cost of the UK’s festive sweet tooth, revealing how Christmas indulgence is fuelling a growing plastic waste problem.

This Christmas, 71% of UK adults will accumulate at least one plastic tub filled with chocolates, sweets or biscuits – a tradition that, when scaled nationally, translates into more than 47 million new plastic tubs entering homes each year.

Laid end to end, these tubs would stretch almost 7,400 miles – more than eight times the length of the UK.

The YouGov data, commissioned by Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, shows that while most people want to do the right thing after Christmas, many are unknowingly making matters worse through incorrect recycling. More than three quarters of UK adults (78%) say they recycle their plastic tubs, yet most (67%) are placing them in kerbside collections where they cannot be recycled properly – and run the risk of ending up in landfill.

In reality, just 11% of them are recycling their tubs correctly, such as at specialist recycling points (5%). Incorrect disposal is not the only issue. A further 61% of adults in the UK admit they keep plastic tubs for more than a year, turning festive good intentions into long-term clutter in cupboards and garages across the country.

In response, Greene King pubs across the UK are encouraging people to bring their clean, empty plastic tubs into their local pub to ensure they are recycled properly via its Tub2Pub recycling scheme.

Launched in 2021, Tub2Pub provides an easy, quick and accessible recycling point at the heart of local communities up and down the country. The plastic tubs collected through the scheme are turned into new items such as picnic benches, while also helping to raise vital funds for Greene King’s charity partner, Macmillan Cancer Support. Over the last five years, Tub2Pub has collected 54,665kg of plastic – which is around 475,348 tubs – raising £35,247 for Macmillan.

Despite almost half of adults (49%) saying they make a conscious effort to reduce waste in general, and one in eight (12%) planning to prioritise sustainability in the year ahead, confidence and efforts drop sharply during the festive period, at the same time as consumption peaks.

Concern about waste remains widespread. Nearly one in three UK adults (30%) worries about the impact waste will have on their future, while almost half (48%) agree there is simply too much waste in everyday life. Yet four in ten (39%) feel they are not given enough support to reduce waste properly, particularly over the festive period.

Vance Fairman-Smith, Greene King’s group supply chain director, said: “We know from previous years that the Tub2Pub is an easy way for people to reduce their environmental impact of festive waste. Our aim is to divert thousands more tubs from landfill or incineration, and we hope to see an even more positive response from communities across the UK this year.

“Our message is simple: don’t let plastic tubs gather dust for another year, or end up in the wrong bin. Bring them to your local Greene King pub and we’ll do the hard work for you. Together, we can reduce waste, start the new year in a more sustainable way and boost funding for Macmillan Cancer Support. It’s a win-win situation, and all the plastic returned is given a second life.”

Members of the public can take their clean and empty plastic tubs to all participating Greene King pubs nationwide between 1 January and 15 February 2026. To find out more about Tub2Pub, or to find your nearest participating pub, visit https://www.greeneking.co.uk/christmas/tub2pub.