Call to arms for UK plastics recycling

Recycling plastic targets in the UK are achievable with increased investment, smarter legislation, and improved communication and collection systems, according to the national industry association.

The potential for greater recycling comes from the British Plastics Federation (BPF) in an updated version of its Recycling Roadmap which was first published in 2021. It notes that many of the required changes mentioned then have not happened.

‘This is due to delays in implementing key policies as well as particularly challenging economic circumstances,’ says the BPF.

Achieving a recycling rate of 69% by 2030 (as outlined in the first edition) will take longer and requires urgent collective action from the government and industry, as well as support from the public, it argues.

Investment

The new edition urges more government investment in the UK’s recycling infrastructure, for both mechanical and chemical recycling. The forecast highlights that the amount of material chemically recycled within the UK by 2030 is 200 000 tonnes lower than the first roadmap indicated.

But it notes that 400 000 tonnes of chemically recycled material is possible by 2035 if certain obstacles are overcome.

A scenario-based approach suggests a 70% reuse and recycling rate is achievable by 2035, with an extra 23% of total plastic waste being mechanically recycled within the UK and an extra 6% being chemically recycled.

By then, 15% less plastic could be sent to energy recovery facilities and 13% of the UK’s total plastic waste could be reused, says the BPF.

The new roadmap argues that achieving this requires:

• Increasing investment
• Optimising legislation and existing systems
• Improving communication and collection systems

Ambitious

BPF sustainability manager Helen Jordan says the forecasts present milestones that are achievable but also deliberately ambitious.

‘The UK could be a leading nation when it comes to the sound management of plastic waste if there is a step change in how we perceive plastic items that have reached the end of their first life,’ she says.

‘We call upon the government to help the UK achieve its true potential as an environmentally conscientious nation with optimised waste management practices. We could recycle so much more plastic waste within the UK if improvements to existing systems and legislation create the right atmosphere to increase investment.’