73% of UK adults want more government help preventing waste

In response to the poll, the national environmental charity has called for government, business and councils to support people to reduce the environmental impact of their buying habits.  

The call comes ahead of one of the biggest times for consumption in the year as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the run-up to Christmas are approaching.  

Encouragingly, the research also showed that almost 35 million (65%) of people are confident they could buy less – in fact, around two thirds (67%) are motivated to reduce the amount of waste their household produces. 

Buy Nothing New Month 

Keep Britain Tidy is aiming to ignite a change in behaviour by supporting people to try alternatives to buying new and reduce the waste they generate during its annual Buy Nothing New Month campaign in November.  

Throughout November, Keep Britain Tidy said that it will share tips on how to resist “the lure of ‘discounts’ that aren’t always genuine” or gifts people maybe can’t afford, and highlight alternatives such as shopping locally for preloved goods, reusing, repairing and borrowing items. 

In Keep Britain Tidy’s own post campaign survey in January 2024 after Buy Nothing New Month 2023, 73% of people were found to have bought nothing new, 75% reused or repurposed what they had already and 43% fixed, repaired or mended items, demonstrating the impact collective action can have. 

Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “Educating our communities about the link between what we buy and the resulting environmental harm is fundamental in normalising a sustainable approach to what we consume – and ultimately what we waste.

“Our research shows the public are ready to shift their mindset toward conscious consumption, with 73% of those who took part in the last Buy Nothing New Month saying they bought nothing new during the month.  

“While many may feel the enormity of the climate challenge and wonder what they can do as an individual to effect change, this campaign has shown that collectively our small actions can make a real difference.”