Make-up use makes Britain Europe's number one cotton bud polluter

Heavy use of make-up has made Britain among the worst plastic polluters in Europe, a new study suggests.

A major report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) showed the UK uses more plastic cotton buds - 13.2 billion items a year - than any other European nation and was the second biggest user of crisp packets, getting through 8.3 billion in 2018.

Altogether, Britain uses the fifth highest number of single-use plastic items person, with relative prosperity and consequent use of make-up believed to be behind the high use of cotton buds, which are used to remove it.

The report also found that UK consumers could be throwing away a third more disposable drinks cups by 2030 without action to curb plastic waste.

Overall the amount of plastic waste the country produces is set to rise by a fifth by the end of the next decade - with a 34 per cent rise in crisp packets, 41 per cent more plastic straws and 9 per cent more drinks bottles.

The report was released the day buildings across the UK, including Buckingham Palace, switch off their lights for an hour to mark Earth Hour, a worldwide event to highlight the risks of  pollution.

This year alone, the UK will use 10.8 billion wet wipes, 16.5 billion pieces of plastic cutlery, 42 billion straws and 4.1 billion single-use drinks cups and lids, the report said.

Tanya Steele, chief executive of WWF said: "We are polluting our world with plastic, suffocating our oceans and overwhelming our wildlife.

"The amount of plastic which the UK is throwing away is set to rocket by over a million tonnes by 2030 - that's the equivalent of 87,000 more double decker buses worth of plastic waste each year.

"We must act now - banning avoidable single use plastic by 2025 - and introducing incentives to help people and businesses make the right choices to reduce, reuse and recycle."

The report also warned that while plastic waste would rise dramatically without action, recycling rates for plastic would increase more slowly.

Less than a third (31%) of plastic waste is recycled, a figure which is expected to rise to 42% by 2030, while single-use plastic recycling rates are predicted to increase from 29% to 37% over the next 12 years.

Earth Hour takes place at 8.30pm UK time on Saturday, with landmarks including Tower Bridge, Brighton Pier, and Cardiff Castle, along with millions of people, turning off the lights to mark the moment.

Across the world, landmarks ranging from Sydney Opera House to the Eiffel Tower in Paris are joining the global switch-off.