With temperatures reaching over 30 degrees in some parts of the UK this week, sun-starved Brits are planning to have an average of five BBQs this summer, generating 4.5bn pieces of plastic, from sausage packs to plastic cups.

"These deaths were due to human error. But the fact that you had two children die on the same day in the same institution, obviously caused a great deal of distrust towards the health system and towards vaccinations.

New research commissioned by sustainable packaging and recycling company DS Smith today reveals that over 200m pieces of BBQ plastic meat trays are set to flood the UK recycling system in the summer months.

Lack of understanding is a crucial issue, with nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents unconfident about how to recycle plastic meat trays and over a third (36%) of respondents unclear on where plastic recycling goes after it’s been disposed of.

Michael Orye, managing director of Recycling and Paper in Europe, at DS Smith said: "Having so many different ways to recycle across the UK is simply confusing for everyone, and when more plastic hits the clunky UK recycling system, it can contaminate paper and card and creates waste, which drags down how much we can recycle. We’d ask that people do their best to follow their local recycling rules, but also that the new government marinate on the UK’s rickety recycling system and give it the renovation it needs, including separate collections for paper and card.”

Although measles deaths worldwide have fallen sharply since the 1960s, the World Health Organization has warned of a comeback around the world since 2017.

More broadly, a majority of respondents (55%) say that sustainable packaging is important when it comes to which products to buy for their BBQs.

Vaccination rates - meaning the number of young children covered - recently dropped to a low of only 31%, external in Samoa, compared to 99% in nearby Nauru, Niue, and Cook Islands.

Although effective and safe vaccination is available, even some developed countries have seen a resurgence in recent years.

Modelling carried out by DS Smith suggests that, based on the current pathway, the UK’s paper and card recycling rate could drop from 74% to 56% by 2030.

The epidemic has also seen a surge in alternative medicines touted as cures. Some reports suggest vitamin products or alkalised water are being sold as treatment.

"People are nervous, people are seeing the impact of this disease. Samoa is a very small country and everybody knows somebody who's been affected by this."

Last summer alone, DS Smith’s recycled paper mill had to process over 2,600 tonnes of plastic that was contaminating the paper and card, the equivalent of over 850,000 black bin bags full.

The poll reveals that almost 1 in 6 (17%) people say that fully recyclable packaging is the most important aspect when choosing what to buy for a BBQ and half of respondents (49%) feel guilty if they ever buy plastic wrapped BBQ products.

Before the introduction of a vaccine in 1963, "major epidemics occurred approximately every 2-3 years and measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year", according to the WHO.

The rise is - in part - due to some parents shunning vaccines for philosophical or religious reasons, or concerns, debunked by medical science, that vaccines are linked to autism.

But while the outlook may appear bleak, Brits are trying hard to avoid this plastic pile up, a positive signal for the future of recycling in the UK.

The seasonal peak in plastic highlights how confusing recycling has become, as the research also shows that there is confusion among barbecuing Brits about recycling rules.

Worldwide, the number of cases quadrupled in the first three months of 2019 compared with the same time last year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Michael Orye continued: "Barbecues are a staple of the Great British summer, but with people wanting to live more sustainable lifestyles, they also shine a light on waste. We know people have their best intentions when they recycle their plastic, but their efforts are becoming undone due to an underperforming recycling system.”

Samoa's fellow Pacific island nations Tonga and Fiji have also declared states of emergency to tackle their measles outbreaks.

One quarter admit to not recycling BBQ food packaging because of unclear labels, and, more than one in eight say they do not recycle packaging because they are unsure of the recycling rules in their local area.

In July 2018, two infants died in Samoa after receiving vaccinations against measles, mumps and rubella, raising local fears over the vaccine itself.

Since the emergency declaration last month, a mass vaccination campaign has got under way, with more than 58,000 people successfully vaccinated, the government said, external.

"The best way to keep children safe is to make sure they're immunised. Preventing vaccination and presenting false information kills children. That is clear - the evidence speaks for itself."

But the deaths were later established to have been due to the nurses mixing the vaccine with an expired muscle relaxant, instead of water.