Letters, emails and social media posts to copy, edit and send. Open one, fill in the [brackets] and make it your own. Each one links to the evidence so the reader can check it.
Letters to organisations and politicians
Keep it short, polite and specific about what you are asking for.
To a supermarket or shop
Dear [Store manager],
I shop at [store] every week and I would like to buy less plastic. Could you offer [loose fruit and vegetables / a refill station for cleaning products / bring-your-own containers at the deli counter]? Other retailers have found this reduces packaging costs and that customers welcome it.
Only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2022, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/global-plastics-outlook_de747aef-en.html), so avoiding it in the first place is what makes the difference. I would be glad to hear what you are planning.
Kind regards, [Name]
To a café
Hello [Café],
Thank you for the excellent coffee. Would you consider a small discount for customers who bring a cup, and a stack of reusable cups for regulars? Cafés that do this typically cut cup costs and waste, and it is a visible sign of the values many of your customers share. Most “paper” cups have a plastic lining and are rarely recycled.
Thanks for considering it, [Name]
To a school principal or canteen
Dear [Principal],
Our family would like to help the school reduce single-use plastic. A classroom plastic audit (free at noplastictoday.com/schools/) is a good first step and links to the science curriculum. Could the canteen move to [reusable cutlery / no plastic straws / a water refill station] this term? Plastic Free Schools programmes report high pupil engagement and lower waste costs.
We are happy to help organise it. Kind regards, [Name]
To an elected representative
Dear [Name],
I am a constituent in [area]. I am writing to ask you to support [a deposit return scheme / a ban on single-use plastic items / producer-responsibility fees for packaging]. The evidence that these work is strong: after England brought in a charge on single-use carrier bags, the main 7 supermarkets sold 126 million single-use bags in 2025/26, down from 7.6 billion in 2014, before the charge (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, figures reported by retailers), and the OECD estimates that ending plastic pollution by 2040 would cost about 0.5% of global gross domestic product (GDP), far less than the cost of inaction.
Micro- and nanoplastics have now been found in human arterial plaque, and patients with plastic in their plaque were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, or to die (Marfella et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2024). I would welcome your view on what you will do about it.
Yours sincerely, [Name, address]
Emails to share with friends and colleagues
Short emails to pass the site on. Pick the one that fits, fill in the [brackets], and send it from your own email. Each one links to the page that will help them most.
To friends and family
Subject: A quick way to use less plastic at home
Hi [Name],
I have been trying to use less plastic and found a free website that makes it easier. It has a calculator: you count what your household uses in a normal week, and it shows how much single-use plastic that adds up to in a year and which one swap would cut it most. It takes about five minutes, and nothing you enter is stored: noplastictoday.com/tools/plastic-footprint-calculator/
Only 9% of the world’s plastic waste was recycled in 2019 (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2022), so using less is what makes the difference.
If you try it, tell me your biggest swap. Mine was [your swap].
[Your name]
To colleagues at work
Subject: Plastic is getting more expensive for us
Hi [Name],
Plastic packaging is starting to cost organisations more. In the UK, Plastic Packaging Tax is £228.82 per tonne from April 2026 on packaging with less than 30% recycled content, and it rises every April (HM Revenue and Customs). There are plastic taxes and packaging fees in Spain, Italy, Oregon, Colorado and Australia too.
No Plastic Today has a free calculator that estimates what staying with plastic could cost us, with a source for every charge: noplastictoday.com/business-case/#calculator. The same site lists swaps that work at scale and companies that have already switched.
Could we take [ten minutes at the next team meeting] to look at it?
[Your name]
To fellow teachers or school parents
Subject: Free plastic lessons for [class or year group]
Hi [Name],
I found free, checked lesson plans about plastic for ages 5 to 18, with curriculum codes printed on the page. They start with a Classroom Plastic Audit: ten minutes a day for a week, counting what the class uses. There are no logins and no pupil data, and every resource says who made it and who paid for it.
Everything is here: noplastictoday.com/schools/
Would you like to try it with [class] this term? I am happy to help.
[Your name]
To a community group, club or council contact
Subject: What has worked elsewhere on plastic
Hi [Name],
I think our [group, club or council] could make a real difference on plastic, and there is good evidence on what works. England’s charge on single-use carrier bags is one example: the main 7 supermarkets sold 126 million single-use bags in 2025/26, down from 7.6 billion in 2014, before the charge (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, figures reported by retailers).
No Plastic Today tracks bans, taxes and producer-responsibility schemes by region, with their status and results: noplastictoday.com/policy/. It also has stories and ideas from people doing this: noplastictoday.com/community/
Could we put this on the agenda for [our next meeting]?
[Your name]
Posts to share on social media
Copy a post, change anything you like, and add your own photo if you have one. The short posts fit X, Bluesky and Threads. Links in Instagram captions cannot be tapped, so put noplastictoday.com in your bio or story instead.
Short post: find your biggest swap
I counted a normal week of plastic and my biggest swap turned out to be [your swap]. Free calculator, about five minutes, nothing you enter is stored: noplastictoday.com/tools/plastic-footprint-calculator/ #LessPlastic
Short post: why using less matters
Only 9% of the world’s plastic waste was recycled in 2019 (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Recycling alone will not fix this. Using less will. Free tools to start: noplastictoday.com #LessPlastic
LinkedIn post: plastic is getting more expensive
Plastic packaging is getting more expensive. In the UK, Plastic Packaging Tax is £228.82 per tonne from April 2026 on packaging with less than 30% recycled content, and it rises every April (HM Revenue and Customs). Spain, Italy, Oregon, Colorado and Australia have plastic taxes or packaging fees too.
No Plastic Today has a free calculator that estimates what staying with plastic could cost your organisation, with a source for every charge: noplastictoday.com/business-case/#calculator
#Packaging #Sustainability
Facebook or community group post: what works
Does anything actually work on plastic? Yes. After England brought in a charge on single-use carrier bags, the main 7 supermarkets sold 126 million single-use bags in 2025/26, down from 7.6 billion in 2014, before the charge (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, figures reported by retailers).
No Plastic Today tracks bans, taxes and producer-responsibility schemes by region, with their status and results: noplastictoday.com/policy/
What would you like our [town, club or council] to try first?
School newsletter or parents’ group post
Free plastic lessons for ages 5 to 18, with curriculum codes printed on the page and every resource saying who made it and who paid for it. Classes can start with a Classroom Plastic Audit: ten minutes a day for a week. No logins and no pupil data: noplastictoday.com/schools/