Recoup, the national charity for developing plastics recycling in the UK, has revealed that household bottle recycling in 2011 passed the 50 per cent milestone for the first time.

According to Recoup, around 306,000 tonnes (or 6.7 billion bottles) were recycled in 2011, pushing the recycling rate up to 52 per cent.

Whilst previewing Recoup’s '2012 Plastic Recycling Survey' at the annual general meeting (AGM) on 9 October, Stuart Foster, Chief Executive of Recoup, acknowledged that this progress is positive, but admitted that he had hoped to reach this milestone (over half of bottles recycled) before now.

Foster explained that this was due to the fact that though bottle recycling is continuing to increase annually, it is doing so at a slower rate than in previous years.

Speaking at the AGM, Foster said: “In 2000, Recoup reported a 3 per cent collection rate for bottles, and many believed that achieving 50 per cent would be impossible. To see this milestone passed should provide a real sense of achievement for the entire plastic bottle supply and recycling chain.

“But the challenge is just beginning because we have reached the point where most householders have access to a kerbside plastic bottle collection service. The sorting and reprocessing facilities for bottles are out there and wanting more material of the right quality, and the bottles are a valuable resource.“

Furthermore, Foster suggested that there are now concerns over how the remaining 48 per cent of recyclable household bottles might be accessed in the future.

“There needs to be much more engagement with the systems and consumers to understand the barriers and behaviours that prevent us from capturing all plastic bottles from all households for recycling. Without this, I would expect to only see nominal increases in bottle recycling levels over the next five years, and this is not an option given the increasing plastic packaging recycling targets over this period.”

Recoup acknowledged that much more work will be necessary in the future in terms of improving supply chain collaboration and influencing ‘positive recycling behaviour change’, in order to reach the 57 per cent plastic packaging recycling target by 2017.

“We are only 3 months away from the start of a five year target increase period for plastic packaging recycling… the UK will not reach these new targets without more joined up thinking and working on a practical level. This is an ongoing process and we are currently engaging with our members and other key players to find the best approach to improving UK plastic recycling in a sustainable and practical way”, added Foster.

Aside from plastic bottles, rigid plastic recycling had also increased in 2011, with 120,000 tonnes of rigid plastic packaging such as pots, tubs and trays collected for recycling from householders. This is up from 76,300 tonnes collected in 2010.

Foster noted that there have been significant increases in recent years in the recycling of these plastics, but highlighted the prevailing lack of suitable ‘sorting infrastructure and end markets’. He emphasised the importance for plastic recycling developments to be economically feasible and sustainable in the long term but maintained Recoup's stance that it will only support collections of a wider range of plastics when these infrastructures become 'available and effective'.

It was also announced at the AGM that Recoup has acquired funding to put towards an update of its ‘Recyclability by Design’ document. This is aimed at packaging designers, brand owners and retailers and seeks to improve understanding of recycling concerns during the packaging development process.

The full '2012 Recoup Plastic Recycling Survey' will be released in late November, while the ‘Recyclability by Design’ document will be available in early 2013.