British Plastics Federation (BPF) sets out plastics recycling strategy

The Recycling Roadmap contains useful guidance to producers and end-waste stakeholders alike, whilst advocating for increased chemical recycling and large growths in domestic processing.

The BPF is one of the largest representors of the UK plastics industry, and the report states there could potentially be domestic capacity to reprocess 75% of plastic packaging by 2030, therefore lessening our national reliance on low-quality exporting. The report also strongly promotes:

• Better and increased communication of plastic recycling capability to the public
• Increased recycled material content in new goods
• A consistent waste plastic collection system across all local authorities
• Kerbside collection of all flexible plastic packaging

Alongside detailed consideration of recycling technologies and polymer types, the report also emphasizes the objective for quality, UK plastic recyclate to be used in both closed and open-loop applications.

This ‘circular’ thinking plays into many future policy goals and strategies announced by Government, including the Plastic Packaging Tax whereby producers are incentivised to incorporate recycled materials in their products, and future Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging.

A detailed look at plastic waste flow

Director-general of the BPF Philip Law stated that “drastically reducing our reliance on exporting plastic waste for recycling and the amount of plastic waste going to landfill is achievable and this roadmap shows how”.

The issue of plastic waste has been continually high on the environmental agenda in recent years, so industry collaboration and knowledge sharing will be an integral part improving our recycling infrastructure.

As such, the Recycling Roadmap is a useful and detailed look at the current state of plastic waste flow and the changes that need to happen within the plastics recycling and manufacturing industries in the future.

Download the BPF Recycling Roadmap

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