Compostable Coalition UK: Reinforced messaging creates five-fold increase in correct packaging disposal

19 Feb 2024 --- A “first-of-its-kind” consumer behavior trial in Medway, UK, witnessed a five-fold surge in consumers correctly disposing of compostable packaging in food waste bins. The Compostable Coalition UK, with advisory board members including major retailers Ocado and M&S, alongside environmental organization WWF, hailed the trial as a success, saying clear communication and labeling helped households to identify and dispose of compostable packaging correctly.

The trial involved 120 households in Medway, where residents were educated on the proper disposal of compostable packaging in their food and garden waste bins. With clear communication and labeling, consumers could identify and dispose of compostable packaging correctly. The initiative also decreased contamination levels within these bins by the end of the trial period.

Julia Schifter, vice president of strategy analysis at Tipa and co-founder of the Compostable Coalition UK, says, “compostable packaging offers a new way to achieve circularity for some of the most challenging hard-to-recycle plastics.”

“Yet, the proper collection and treatment of compostables is key to achieving a full circularity for these products. The results of our study prove that once consumers are provided with a label that positively instructs them where to discard such packages, their ability to behave accordingly increases dramatically.”

“Moreover, it also increased their overall disposal of food waste in the food waste bin while significantly reducing contamination. These results, among other studies conducted by the Compostable Coalition UK, are aimed at servicing the Defra’s [UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs] future policy direction on compostable plastics and their role in addressing the planetary plastics waste crisis,” Schifter asserts.

Positive impact of visible labels
Households in Medway received various goods, including confectionery, snack food, fresh produce, tea bags, coffee pods and shopping bags from retailers like Co-Op, Ocado, Lipton Teas and others. The compostable packaging was distinguished by newly developed labels by Hubbub, in collaboration with OPRL, which aided consumers in identifying and disposing of compostable items accurately. Co-founder of the Compostable Coalition UK says, “compostable packaging offers a new way to achieve circularity for some of the most challenging hard-to-recycle plastics.”

Additional educational resources, designed by Hubbub in consultation with behavioral scientists at the University of Sheffield, were provided to encourage residents to utilize their food waste bins and understand the composting process.

“This trial reinforces the message that providing consumers with clear, visible labels can positively impact participation and contamination. The findings of the pilot backup OPRL’s consumer research, which shows that consumers look for information on recycling at the point of disposal,” stresses Alice Harlock, director of technical and member services OPRL.

“In our survey, the majority (54%) also reported that the greatest barrier to recycling was confusion over whether items were recyclable. So we can be confident that tackling confusion with clear labels and instructions will help to drive greater volumes of material for recycling.”

Compostable collection challenges
The trial also saw a 23% increase in food waste disposal in the food waste bin, coupled with a reduction in contamination levels from 9% to 3%. Alongside the Medway trial, the coalition conducted composting trials at EnVar, one of the UK’s largest composting sites, where 13 tons of compostable items were tested for biodegradability under normal operating conditions.

Results from the EnVar trials demonstrated that products supplied in their ready-to-use state successfully biodegraded, meeting certification standards for high-quality compost in the UK.

Despite the trial’s success, the coalition details that challenges remain regarding the collection and treatment of compostable packaging. While 51% of councils in the UK currently offer food waste collections and 17% offer co-mingled food and garden waste collection, many do not include compostable packaging due to contamination and processing concerns.

However, with Defra's new Simpler Recycling Reform mandating the collection of food waste from all households across England by 2026, the Compostable Coalition UK aims to address these challenges and further integrate compostable packaging into waste management systems.

“Having analyzed the organic waste stream for six weeks during the trial, Recoup witnessed a steady but noticeable decline in contamination of the food waste samples, as well as an increase in overall volumes of food waste disposed of correctly,” shares Tom McBeth, policy and infrastructure manager at Recoup.

“More engagement would need to be done to help ensure a clean waste stream overall, but this helped to show the importance of engagement with citizens regarding disposal of their waste.”

By Radhika Sikaria