Waste management company Biffa announced yesterday (29 June) the extension of its partnership with packaging company Nampak Plastics Europe.Biffa will provide food-grade recycled HDPE plastic to the manufacturer Nampak for use in manufacturing plastic bottles. This will see Nampak dairy bottles contain up to 40 per cent recycled plastic, all supplied by Biffa.Biffa first joined with Nampak in 2008 through the UK’s Dairy Roadmap, a scheme designed to cut down the dairy industry’s environmental footprint through matching dairy partners with companies producing recyclable plastic milk bottles.Over the last decade, Biffa has reprocessed over three billion HPDE milk bottles and 85 per cent of milk bottles in the UK now contain Biffa material.Biffa will provide the recycled HDPE material as pellets which will be sourced from Biffa’s Redcar facility, the world’s first commercial recycled food-grade HDPE production plant opened by Biffa in 2008.In March, Biffa announced the opening of its £27.5-million state of the art rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) recycling facility in Seaham, County Durham, which will process 1.3 billion plastic bottles each year.Commenting on the partnership, Chris Hanlon, Commercial Manager at Biffa Polymers, said: “We’re pleased to be extending our successful long-term relationship with Nampak Plastics Europe. Biffa is playing a critical role in pioneering closed-loop plastic recycling in the UK and we are delighted to be working with Nampak to support the development of sustainable packaging solutions.”Chris Phelan, CEO at Nampak Plastics Europe, added: “We’re delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with companies like Biffa, as recycled material will play an ever-important role in the years to come in helping us provide better and more sustainable plastic bottles.”The last year has seen notable successes for the Biffa. It’s underlying operating profits increased by £8.8 million to £90.5 million, while its underlying profits before tax increased by 12.1 per cent to £71.7 million in 2019/20.
Biffa illustrated its commitment to investing in the UK’s sustainable infrastructure with its report ‘Resourceful, Responsible’ in January with £1.25 billion of investment forecast to be unlocked by Biffa for UK green economic infrastructure by 2030.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.