Plastics 2020 consortium – a group made up of the British Plastics Federation (BPF), Packaging & Films Association (PAFA) and Plastics Europe – and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) announced yesterday (11 June) that they will officially launch the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan (PIRAP) at the Plastics Recycling Expo (PRE) in Telford on the 16 June.
The action plan, first announced in September 2014, is intended as ‘a road map’ for the plastic packaging supply chain to take towards achieving the UK government’s target for obligated users of 57 per cent plastic packaging recycling by 2017.
According to Plastics 2020, the action plan will offer ‘solutions for all parts of the supply chain… from designing for recycling and influencing recycling habits to developing end-markets and sorting contaminated materials’.
Claire Shrewsbury, Packaging Programme Manager at WRAP, will share details of the Plastics 2020-led initiative ‘PIRAP’ for the first time in the free-to-attend PRE Conference at 12 noon. She will be joined by Plastics 2020 consortium members: Philip Law, Director General, BPF; Kim Christiansen, Regional Director North, Plastics Europe; and Barry Turner, Chief Executive, PAFA.
Kim Christiansen said “We believe that the plan will promote best practice and cooperation between all the relevant stakeholders to help delivering a sustainable recycling business sector in the UK, producing high-quality products and additional jobs.”
PRE brings together players from the plastics and recycling sectors to ‘learn, network and capitalise on the business opportunities plastic recycling offers’.
Learn more about the Plastics 2020 Challenge.
Get our weekly digest
resource.co article ai
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.