Andrew Bird, Chair of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee, considers what progress has been made in plastics recycling and shares his views on what challenges still remain for the whole supply chain.
It used to be that when it came to plastics, a local authority recycling officer’s lot was summed up in two phrases: ‘margarine tubs’ and ‘yogurt pots’. These were the focus of householders’ increasing desire to recycle when plastic recycling was traditionally formed around plastic bottle collection systems. Today, more collection systems offer a wider variety of containers and plastics for collection, but the fact that the term ‘plastics’ covers such a wide range of materials continues to provide challenges throughout the secondary resource supply chain. These include: What messages do local authorities give to households? How prescriptive should they be in specifying the types of plastic they want? How do reprocessors manage the mix of materials they then receive?; How do we all deal with plastics that are not plastics?
Faced with these issues, you could take the stance that plastics recycling in the UK still has a long way to go. However, 10 years ago we would have been thrilled to have the problem of the public being too ‘keen’ to give us their used plastic, so the problems of today should not disguise the progress of yesterday.
The breadth and quantity of plastic collections that local authorities now offer is impressive and contributes to good levels of recycling. However, the recycling rates do not match the 75 per cent level some people claim to be recycling. So, while people realise that recycling is a good thing they do not always follow that through with actions.
The recent study by Exeter University, supported by Coca Cola, showed there is still a lack of understanding from the public about what happens to their waste. But should we really be surprised at this given recent food chain issues highlighting how removed and ignorant we are about that? If we are not informed about the supply of our food, it appears reasonable to assume people are not excited about being informed about their waste.
As with all packaging and products, the answers lie with every part of the supply chain. More importantly, they come with ensuring that all parts of the chain work with one another to join up design and consider the implications on others in the chain when one link is altered. Inevitably, there are conflicts and conflicting messages throughout – one only needs to see how the debate about biodegradable ‘plastics’ is developing. This is likely to lead to some compromises: food quality and protection versus the consolidation of the types of plastic used in the packaging. Compromises can still bring about improvements on the current situation though should not always be viewed as failure.
An event such as the Plastics Recycling Expo provides the opportunity to discuss these issues with everyone involved in the plastics chain. Developing an understanding of why we all do what we do in each link can be the first important step in developing better ways of working and designing new systems that use fewer resources at the start and capture more at the ‘end’ (or the new beginning when you think of a circular economy). Who knows where we could be in another 10 years’ time?
Andrew Bird is chairing the Local Authority Day (supported by LARAC) which takes place at the Telford International Centre on 18 June as part of the inaugural Plastics Recycling Expo.
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