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Pots, tubs and tray collections on the rise

Pots, tubs and tray collections on the rise

Figures released by member-based plastics recycling organisation RECOUP, suggest that kerbside collections of plastic pots, tubs and trays (PTTs) are becoming increasingly common in the UK, with 27 more local authorities (LAs) collecting them in 2013 than were in 2012.

The claim is made in the ‘2014 UK Household Plastics Collection Survey’, which reports on 2013 data concerning plastics recycling across the UK.

It found that the largest increase in plastic recycling provision related to the uptake of kerbside collections of PTTs, with 271 LAs (67 per cent) now offering such a service. In total, the services collected 138,488 tonnes of PTTs in 2013, 14,000 more than in 2012, accounting for a rise of 11 per cent.

Further, 19 LAs responding to the survey outlined that they were planning to implement a collection system for PTTs in 2014 – which would mean that only 15 more LAs would need to adopt the service before the On Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) on this plastic stream could change from ‘check local recycling’ to ‘widely recycled’. This would only be achieved once 75 per cent of LAs (305) collect this stream.

RECOUP added that since reporting began, LAs have collected more than half a million tonnes (556,000 tonnes) of PTTs for recycling.

The survey outlined that in order to boost PTT recycling, it would be important to create more end markets to create the necessary demand. To do this, engagement would needed across the whole supply chain, particularly retailers and brand owners, who ‘need to be encouraged to specify more recycled content in their non-food packs’.

One of the survey sponsors, David Baker from PTT recyclers RPC Group, added: “If we are going to encourage consumers to recycle more pots, tubs and trays, we need to make it easier for them to do so. There is a great deal of inconsistency and confusion around plastics recycling, and there is still much work still to be done - in helping consumers to recognise the recyclability of PTTs, encouraging them to recycle more of them, and influencing local authorities to make it easier for this to happen.”

Plastic bottles

Despite the rising interest in PTTs, the largest proportion of plastic collected by LAs in 2012/2013 comprised plastic bottles. This stream made up 70 per cent of plastic collections from UK households (with PTTs making up the remainder).

At the end of March 2013, 99 per cent (400) of LAs in the UK provided a kerbside recycling collection that included plastic bottles. Indeed, RECOUP notes that in 20 years since the survey has been running, the UK has collected over two million tonnes of plastic bottles for recycling, and diverted 50 billion bottles from landfill.

However, recycling rates for this stream continue to plateau, with 325,945 tonnes of plastic bottles being collected in the last year, a modest increase of approximately 10,000 tonnes (three per cent). On top of this, the six councils that do not collect this stream told RECOUP that they do not have any plans to do so in 2014.

To try and boost the amount of plastic bottles recycled (the most recent figures for plastic bottle recycling show that householders recycled just 58 per cent of their plastic bottles), RECOUP and several other partner organisations launched Pledge 4 Plastics earlier this year, asking people to make a pledge to recycle one extra plastic bottle a week.

Indeed, RECOUP estimates that a total of 464,433 tonnes of plastics packaging was collected from UK households in 2013 (this refers to the 2013 calendar and 2013/2014 financial year), an increase of 24,000 tonnes (5.5 per cent more than in the previous year) – but would still need to almost double by 2017 if the UK is to meet the national packaging recycling target of 57 per cent.

An increasing number of LAs stated that they were also looking to implement plastics recycling communications campaigns, with 35 per cent planning to bring in targeted household campaign in 2014. (For those who said they were not running a campaign, 47 per cent said it was something they would like to do but ‘were unable to at this time’).

Increasing household plastic packaging critical to achieving industry targets’

Steve Morgan, RECOUP Technical Manager stated: “The UK has comfortably met the European plastic packaging recycling target (22.5 per cent) for some time now. Whilst European discussions will continue during 2015, there are still stretching UK plastic packaging recycling targets to meet between now and 2017. Increasing household plastic packaging recycling has, and will continue to be critical to achieving those industry targets, as well as overall recycling targets placed on local authorities.

“Consumer communications have very much risen to the fore of strategic thinking and it’s encouraging to see the plans and demand to run plastics recycling communications campaigns. We encourage all local authorities to use the [Pledge 4 Plastics] toolkit as it provides a wide range of resources to ensure consistency in any plastic packaging recycling communications. The resources could easily be used on council websites or newsletters.”

Read the ‘2014 UK Household Plastics Collection Survey’.

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