May saw the launch of the first 6R Fest on campus. A team of nine 6R champions promoted the 6R protocol to manage plastics sustainably on campus and at home to staff and students.

6R stands for Review, Reduce, Reuse, Refill, Replace, Recycle. The original 6R protocol was developed to reduce plastic use in the laboratory classes of the School of Biological Sciences. It proved simple and effective. Before COVID, it was applied to 12 classes and saved 37,000 plastic items and £3,000 yearly. The school is now working with staff and students to review all their practical classes and expand 6R to their research laboratories.

6R can be adapted to any setting and leads to quick impact. The creators, Drs. Maggy Fostier and Ruth Grady, worked with two graduate students in 2020 to adapt it for home and campus. They have now launched a 6R champion scheme where volunteers can update or promote the protocol, adapt it to new settings (e.g. school, community place, or workplace) or translate it.

6R home and campus comes in the form of a poster with broad principles and a QR code links to a full protocol that provides information and tips to implement the 6Rs in the Greater Manchester area. The latest version describes each supermarket’s offering for recycling soft plastics and plastic films, and the latest updates from our student-run Want not Waste shop. 90% of the people we spoke to were not aware that so much recycling was possible, so chances are you may have missed it too.

The 6R Fest games about plastics to start conversations and the opportunity to win plants or seeds in reused yogurt pots. Over the course of four events at lunchtime 206 people scanned the QR code linking to our 6R protocol.