Learning Pool joins RPM program’s ‘Zero Plastic to Landfill Challenge’ to tackle plastic pollution crisis

UK – Corporate learning solutions provider Learning Pool has partnered with Responsible Plastic Management (RPM) to help tackle the plastic pollution crisis.

The initiative enables organizations to divert plastics away from landfills to be recycled, reused, or used in energy recovery. Learning Pool aims to eliminate the disposal of plastic waste in landfills.

Learning Pool facilities manager Chris Myers-Smith said: “Learning Pool is following the footsteps of corporations like McDonald’s and The Coca-Cola Company to reduce the use of single-use plastics.

“In ongoing efforts to minimize our environmental impact, we have partnered with RPM to ensure that our contributions to the global eradication of single-use plastic are certified and that any plastic we do use is recycled, reused, or compostable.

“We have also taken proactive measures such as assessing our carbon footprint, changing suppliers and supplies, and actively participating in litter picks in cities, towns, and beaches.”

Learning Pool has been supporting thousands of businesses by investing in learning experiences around the world.

The company’s AI platforms and skills solutions produce actionable insights into every participant’s performance. The solutions provider has already gained B Corporation accreditation earlier this year.

Myers-Smith added: “As a forward-thinking organization, we are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to overcome the obstacles that lie ahead. The RPM program and its ‘Zero Plastic to Landfill’ challenge is just one example of how we are prepared to tackle these challenges head-on to ensure our continued success in the future.”

This comes at a time when only 29 percent of the estimated 100 billion items of plastic waste produced by households a year are recycled and environmental group Greenpeace has demanded a cap on plastic production.

In the UK, activists have generally been successful in raising the issue of recycling to a receptive public, but efforts are still falling short. Greenpeace said government action is the best way to tackle the problem.

A survey in May last year showed that in a week, about 100,000 households — 250,000 people — across the UK counted their plastic packaging waste and sent their results to Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic as part of The Big Plastic Count.

Figures show that, on average, each household threw away 66 pieces of plastic packaging in a week, which amounts to an estimated 3,432 pieces when applied over a year.

Of the plastic items recorded, 83 percent was from food and drink packaging waste, with the most common item being produce packaging.

The extrapolated data suggests UK homes produce 96.6 billion pieces of plastic packaging waste a year, with only 12 percent being recycled in the UK.

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