North Somerset MP Sir Liam Fox attended this year's Big Plastic Count event at Parliament.

The event, a large-scale citizen science project organised by Greenpeace UK and Everyday Plastic, took place from March 11 until March 17.

It was a concerted effort to count the amount of plastic we produce and to track where it ends up.

Involving nearly 225,000 individuals, over 77,000 households, and around 28,000 students from more than 5,000 school classes, the count also saw the active participation of 50 Members of Parliament, including Sir Liam Fox.

The results of the plastic tally were showcased at the Youth Empowerment event at Parliament on April 17, also attended by Sir Liam.

The data suggested that an estimated 90 billion plastic pieces are discarded by UK households annually, with just 17 per cent going through domestic recycling.

It was highlighted that every week, UK households dispose of around 1.7 billion plastic pieces.

This averages to 60 pieces per household.

Most commonly found items were snack packaging with 699,932 pieces, followed by fruit and vegetables packing accounting for 697,085 pieces.

Interestingly, over half (58 per cent) of the thrown plastic packaging pieces in the UK are incinerated.

Around 14 per cent is exported as waste, 11 per cent is directed to landfills, and as stated earlier, the remaining 17 per cent gets recycled.

North Somerset Times:

The issue of plastic and microplastic pollution is prominently highlighted in Mr Fox's newly-published book, The Coming Storm: Why water will write the 21st Century.’

In his work, he explained:"[a]t the current rate of accumulation, plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050."

He commented after the event: "The facts on plastic pollution are truly shocking.

"Our precious marine life is hugely threatened by plastic, which can entangle it, suffocate it, or block its digestive tracts."

The MP added: "We must accelerate our activities and strengthen our commitment before the wildlife in our oceans, with all the consequences for humans as part of the global ecosystem, is irreversibly destroyed."