The report is titled ‘2022 UK Plastic Packaging Sorting & Reprocessing Infrastructure’. It found that “significant increases” in recycling infrastructure are needed if the UK is to recycle its material domestically.
And, Recoup said it highlights the UK’s ability to sort plastic packaging from other materials into separate plastic streams and to reprocess it into raw material and products.
The charity set out to compare the requirements for recycled plastic packaging against the UK’s ability for its production. As part of the process, Recoup said it mapped the recycling facilities and researched the operational capacities to produce scenarios for comparison.
The scenarios examined benchmarks set by the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, Recoup continued, and “if material export markets were no longer an option, something the UK relies heavily on to achieve its recycling targets”.
Investment
According to the charity, the research found that “significant increases are required for reprocessing plastic packaging in the UK”. The report outlined the need to increase the current recycling infrastructure by five times for household-like plastic packaging and nine times for food grade plastic packaging.
Recoup said it was important for the UK’s recycling system to resolve the “reprocessing bottleneck” by giving it necessary priority, investment and ownership.
The charity added that it believes “it is imperative that adequate funding through the extended producer responsibility (EPR) reform goes to the right areas”. It called for “significant investment and support” for the reprocessing infrastructure, “particularly when these businesses are open to variable commercial conditions, such as increased energy costs and reduced material value”.
The future of the UK’s recycling solutions for plastic packaging is in its own hands
- Steve Morgan, head of policy and infrastructure at Recoup
‘Perfect opportunity’
Steve Morgan, head of policy and infrastructure at Recoup, commented: “The future of the UK’s recycling solutions for plastic packaging is in its own hands, but I’m afraid we might let slip this perfect opportunity to channel appropriate funding into the high impact areas that could transform the UK’s infrastructure capabilities.
He added: “Effective collection and material sorting to deliver high quality recycling outputs is essential, but we are at risk around not supporting the reprocessing sector. The capacity to produce the final raw materials to enable a circular economy to exist will just not be in place.”
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