Here in Penzance, we’re proud of the positive, practical action our community takes to tackle plastic pollution. From refilling and reusing, to supporting our brilliant local plastic-free champions, we know that community action works.

But we also know it’s not quite enough – and plastic pollution is not all our fault, either. That’s why we’re joining Surfers Against Sewage’s (SAS) Return To Offender campaign, a national action calling for system change around plastic pollution, so we can turn off the tap for good.

The reality of plastic pollution

Every year, SAS publishes its Brand Audit Report, analysing the hundreds of thousands of pieces of plastic pollution collected by volunteers across the UK on Million Mile Cleans. And, with this, they highlight the top plastic polluting brands.

In 2025, the report found just 12 global companies accounted for 65% of the branded waste collected from beaches, rivers, parks and streets.

And it’s not that surprising. SAS’s investigations show that, despite putting in place voluntary targets and sharing bold statements about sustainability, these corporations have shown no intention of making actual change. In fact, Coca Cola, 2025’s biggest polluter, has increased virgin plastic use by 10% – even after pledging to eliminate 3.3 million tons of the material “derived from non-renewable sources” from its supply chain by 2025.

The reality of this type of greenwashing is broken promises, missed targets and active moves to block policy change; the type of change that could have a real impact on how plastic is fed to consumers, and how pollution turns up in the environment.

No, it’s not all our fault!

The plastic pollution we see blowing through our streets or washing up on our beaches is not down to people who “litter”. The term was in fact coined by plastic producers decades ago, to help shift focus onto individual behaviour, rather than corporate production. Making consumers and ‘thoughtless litterbugs’ the villains of the story.

Yes, a small minority of people might actively litter (and yes, we know they shouldn’t) But the real issue starts much higher up.

So, when we look at plastic pollution in our community, it helps to understand the journey plastic takes. If we look upstream, the chain goes something like this:

• Fossil fuel extraction (Big Oil) which is how plastic is made. One in ten barrels of oil is made into plastic, fuelling the climate crisis and lining billionaire pockets
• Packaging producers and major brands who manufacture and distribute single-use plastic-wrapped products
• Retailers and supermarkets who sell and promote single use plastic at scale
• Consumers who are left to purchase, manage and dispose of single use plastic packaging

For years, the responsibility has landed squarely at the end of that chain – on us. But we aren’t living through a plastic crisis because communities suddenly became careless. It’s actually the insane volume of single-use plastic being pushed into the market.

Pair that with families trying to battle cost of living, time pressures, and the ever-inviting colourful packaging and marketing (that often promises so much more than it is), plastic becomes an inevitable part of the shopping basket.

Once purchased, these products are designed to be discarded. They aren’t built for durability, repair or refill. And when billions of disposable items are pumped into circulation, some will inevitably become pollution, regardless of how responsible most of us try to be.

Finally, with poor waste management set-ups that are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of single-use plastic being produced, the situation becomes even worse.

Coming full circle

Every time we trace the problem back, we return to the same place: overproduction.

There will always be a limit to what a community can achieve if the tap is still running at full force, and we cannot out-clean, out-inform, out-refill or out-volunteer a multi-billion pound industry, that is increasing production while resisting regulation.

That’s why legislation matters, and why SAS is calling for government to move beyond voluntary agreements and start holding polluters to account.

Now, here’s where we can get involved…

What Is Return To Offender?

Return To Offender is a direct, evidence-based action that’s shifting the spotlight back where it belongs – on the producers.

All you need to do is find and photograph branded plastic pollution in the environment, share it on social media and tag the brand responsible. It’s that simple.

Your posts (and all the other content generated throughout the duration of the campaign) will be collated by SAS and taken straight to the UK Government, to demonstrate the widespread public mandate for legislative change.

Whether you’re on a dog walk, a surf, commuting to work or doing a clean, it all counts.

You can find out more about the campaign here.