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Nearly half of packaging waste discarded in residual and food waste bins

New research shows that 5.6M tonnes of packaging waste was binned by households last year, placing additional burdens on local councils.

Packaging wasteA new study commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA), Council Councils Network (CCN) and District Councils Network (DCN) reveals that households in the UK discarded 5.6 million tonnes of packaging waste last year.

As Table 1 shows, 3.2 million tonnes of packaging was put into recycling bins, while 2.3 million ended up in residual, or ‘black’ bins, and 70,000 tonnes were mistakenly put into food waste.

This means that 43 per cent of packaging waste is ending up in residual or food waste instead of being recycled.

Waste Stream Total (t) Non-packaging (t) Packaging (t) Packaging (%)
Residual Waste 12,218,151 9,869,822 2,348,329 19
Recycling 4,783,873 1,578,200 3,205,673 67
Food/Garden 3,434,503 3,365,813 68,690 2
Total 20,436,527 14,813,835 5,622,692 27.5

Table 1: Packaging in Household Waste, England

Cllr Andy Graham, Environment Spokesperson for the DCN, commented: “District councils have engaged with our communities to reduce waste and recycle more resulting in high rates of recycling. However, councils can only do so much. Our residents overwhelmingly want less unnecessary packaging on what they buy and as councils we would like to see more recycled material used in the packaging that is produced.

Graham added: “There has been a dramatic shift towards online shopping in recent years and our councils tell us that this has resulted in ever greater quantities of packaging, much of which is difficult to recycle. This both causes unnecessary environmental harm and heaps cost onto councils.”

Councils call for reforms

In response to the findings, councils are calling for reforms that reduce packaging and make recycling easier.

Proposed solutions include revealing the actual costs of delivering local waste and recycling services, reviewing the decision to reduce packaging fees, and requiring clearer labelling on packaging.

Councils have also emphasised that the extra treatment costs for recyclable waste placed in the wrong bins will place further financial burdens on them, costs that are unlikely to be fully covered by the incoming packaging Extended Production Responsibility (pEPR) scheme.

Cllr Adam Hug, Environment spokesperson for the LGA, said: “We support reforms that move the costs for dealing with packaging waste from councils onto the producers. However, it is crucial that the costs are met, that councils continue to lead local waste and recycling services, and that the focus is on reducing unnecessary waste in the first place.”

Cllr Richard Clewer, Infrastructure and Planning spokesperson for the CCN, added: “The government must ensure that recyclable waste that is placed into incorrect bins is taken into consideration when calculating the amount that councils will get paid through the EPR scheme. At a time when they are under immense financial pressures, councils should not be penalised, and producers of packaging must do more to ensure that packing ends up in the correct bin.”

Polling commissioned by the LGA and conducted by YouGov found that 85 per cent of respondents believe companies should be required by the government to reduce the amount of packaging they use.

Nearly half (48 per cent) of the respondents also thought that the costs in reducing packaging should be borne by the companies producing it, rather than by councils (4 per cent).

These findings come as councils, politicians, and organisations continue to discuss the future of waste management at the LGA’s Annual Conference.

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