Binning “throwaway culture”: UK waste consultations launched

19 Feb 2019 --- The UK government has launched a series of consultations with the aim of “overhauling the waste system.” The consultations will include the proposed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, improvements in the consistency of household recycling and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for cans and bottles. A consultation has also been launched on a proposed “world-leading tax” on plastic packaging that contains less than 30 percent recycled content. The government will elicit industry opinions on its plans for a period of 12 weeks, closing on 13 May, 2019.

“We are committed to cementing our place as a world leader in resource efficiency so we can be the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we inherited it,” says UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove. “Through our plans, we will introduce a world-leading tax to boost recycled content in plastic packaging, make producers foot the bill for handling their packaging waste, and end the confusion over household recycling.”

The consultations come at a fraught time for UK waste management. With mounting public concerns around the UK’s waste export tendencies as it exits the EU in less than 40 days, the need to act has never been more pressing. This has been intensified further by China’s refusal to accept recycling waste imports since April 2018. 

PackagingInsights takes a look at some of the key consultation topics included and how various industry groups are responding.

Extended Producer Responsibility
New plans set out by the government will see the costs of recycling borne by those that produce packaging waste and place it on the market. 

Currently, packaging producers pay only around 10 percent of the cost of dealing with packaging waste. By increasing that to cover the full amount, the government hopes to incentivize producers to think carefully about using less packaging and to switch to using packaging that is easier to recycle.

Following the overhaul of the packaging regulations, the government will explore EPR schemes for items that can be difficult or costly to recycle. As well as improving existing schemes for cars, electrical goods and batteries, this could include things such as textiles, fishing gear, vehicle tires, certain materials from construction and demolition and bulky waste such as mattresses, furniture and carpets.

Ian Fielding, Chair of the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) Waste Group, highlights the importance of not letting the burden of rising waste levels continue to fall on local authorities. 

“The burden of dealing with ever-increasing volumes of waste has fallen squarely on local authorities without comparable moves to increase resources. This remains our overriding concern at a time of further cuts to local authority funding,” he says.

“Responsibility for managing packaging must lie with the producer. Not only will this reduce the burden on local authorities, but it will also provide incentives for long-term investment and give markets greater certainty,” he adds. 

The UK’s Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) calls for the EPR to extend beyond the scope of packaging and include chewing gum and cigarettes, which account for almost half of all street litter.

Veolia has also publicized its support for the EPR scheme, but also offers some advice: “We advocate simplicity or it will fail at the first hurdle. We should learn from the landfill tax and packaging recovery note system, (in short - a packaging tax), both of which have proved simple to implement, police and deliver and, over the last 20 years, underpinned a societal shift away from dependency on landfill towards more sustainable ways of processing material - energy recovery and recycling.”

On the Deposit Return Scheme
In launching the consultation, the government has proposed a DRS designed for cans and plastic and glass bottles. The government will seek views on two options for how the DRS could work if introduced. The first option, known as the “all-in” model, would target a large number of beverages placed on the market, irrespective of size. 

The second option, known as the “on-the-go” model, would restrict the drinks containers in-scope to those less than 750ml in size and sold in single format containers. This model would target drinks most often sold for consumption outside of the home.

This could drive up the recycling of an estimated three billion plastic bottles which are currently incinerated, sent to landfill or left to litter streets, countryside and pollute the marine environment, according to the government.

Similar schemes already operate successfully in other countries – for example, total return rates of drinks containers in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden are at 90 percent, 92 percent, 98 percent, 92 percent and 85 percent, respectively.

In response to the government proposition, environmental group Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has urged the government to support an “all-in” DRS model which accepts every kind of bottle to decrease litter levels. Other environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, have voiced concern that a restrictive model would confuse consumers and thereby lead to further littering.

“Consumption has skyrocketed, while recycling has flatlined; our countryside, rivers and oceans are choked with plastic; and many of the drinks containers are collected so inefficiently that their poor quality means we struggle to recycle them within the UK and the rest of the world no longer wants them either,” says Samantha Harding, Litter Program Director at CPRE.

Indeed, Richard Kirkman, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Veolia UK & Ireland says: “It's a simple formula; collect all the bottles Britain throws away and it will clear the route to sky high recycling rates. Using bottles and cans purchased predominately on the go will attract the type of material we're currently missing.”

Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), supports the introduction of a DRS system that would target on-the-go consumption and complements kerbside recovery.

The trade group, which represents big players such as Tesco, Ikea, McDonald’s and Whole Foods, warned that setting up the program could cost the nation up to £2 billion (US$2.6 billion).

“The best way [to approach litter] is by focusing on cans and plastic bottles drunk and consumed outside the home, to decrease the chances of them littering our streets or ending up in the ocean. Targeting on-the-go consumption avoids undermining existing household collection schemes, taking away a key source of revenues for local councils, as well as making life more difficult for households who can currently recycle these items from the comfort of their home,” he says.

On the Plastic Packaging Tax
As part of the Budget 2018 announcement, the government shared that, from April 2022, it would introduce a “world-leading” new tax on the production and import of plastic packaging with less than 30 percent recycled content, subject to consultation.

The government’s call for evidence on single-use plastic waste last year highlighted that recycled plastic is often more expensive than new plastic, despite its lower environmental impacts. The government plans to shift the economic incentives involved in the production of more sustainable plastic packaging, encouraging greater use of recycled plastic and helping to reduce plastic waste.

At the time of the announcement, UK waste management expert Veolia welcomed the proposed tax. “The Chancellor focused on delivering a level playing field for manufacturers and the recycling sector, helping to bolster the circular economy and protect our common environment. The tax announced has the potential to ensure recycled content becomes the currency of production,” says Kirkman.

The government is now seeking views on proposals for how the tax should be implemented. For example, which packaging should be in the scope of the tax, how to assess recycled content and which businesses will be liable for the tax. The government is open to views on the best design options.

Opie of the BRC advises that, for the tax to make a difference, the revenue that is raised must be put back into recycling innovation rather than “being locked away by the treasury.”

“Currently there is not enough good quality recycled plastic available for all companies to meet this objective. Government must work with businesses to ensure the recycled plastic and recycling infrastructure is made available to support efforts to tackle plastic pollution,” he adds.

EU drive to tackle waste
The changes will make up a key part of the government’s upcoming Environment Bill, which will be introduced early in the second session of Parliament. 

The consultations build on existing government work to tackle unnecessary waste and plastic pollution, including a ban on microbeads in personal care products, a 5p plastic bag charge which has taken over 15 billion single-use plastic bags out of circulation and a consultation to extend it to all retailers.

The EU is also seeking to tackle plastic waste head-on. The first ever Europe-wide strategy on plastics was announced in January 2018, and one year on, the industry is innovating on product design and streamlining processes to reach the ambitious targets laid out. This includes optimizing collection and sorting to increase recycling rates, designing for recyclability and improving access to recycling to boost consumer participation.

By Laxmi Haigh