Puzzled by plastics: Global consumers lack confidence in recycling and collection, Hi-Cone report reveals

13 Mar 2020 --- Global consumers are confused by how to correctly recycle different types of plastic packaging and lack confidence in current recycling collection systems, according to Hi-Cone’s first report on The State of Plastic Recycling. The ring carrier supplier’s commissioned YouGov survey revealed that UK consumers were the most confused but also the most active recyclers overall, with 92 percent of those surveyed reporting to regularly recycle at home compared to the 75 percent global average. In light of the findings, the supplier is promoting several cross-industry partnerships, such as a recycling partnership with TerraCycle in the UK, and the launch of its +50 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) beverage carrier, RingCycles, which reduces the company’s use of virgin plastic by half.

“There is a great need to create a more transparent process and clear guidance for consumers when it comes to the development of a circular economy and better recycling practices. Only by understanding consumer beliefs, national programs and global goals, can we make real progress toward innovative improvement of our products and business practices. This cannot be done alone, so we are calling for the industry to work on this together,” Shawn Welch, Hi-Cone Vice President and General Manager, tells PackagingInsights.

The study revealed a lack of confidence in recycling infrastructure and collection.UK-headquartered research data and analytics group YouGov surveyed 5,509 adults in four markets – Mexico, Spain, the UK and the US – on their behaviors, knowledge and attitudes toward plastic packaging recycling. It found that only a third (34 percent) of adults across all territories recycle all of their plastic waste inside or outside their homes. Pressingly, 60 percent of adults across all territories reported they did not know how to recycle some types of plastic packaging.

The majority of adults across all territories (91 percent) notably reported they believed that recycling plastic is beneficial to the environment. Moreover, 80 percent of all surveyed adults who do not currently recycle all of their plastic waste indicated that they would recycle plastic more frequently if they had more facilities and/or guidance. They were also convinced that non-plastic packaging solutions are better for the environment, even if that means they use more packaging material.

Findings of the report show that, compared to the global average, UK adults were the most unsure of how to recycle different plastics, with over half reporting they found recycling plastic difficult to understand. They were also the most convinced that non-plastic packaging solutions are better for the environment, even if that means they use more packaging material.

Partnerships to combat plastic pollution
Hi Cone's +50 percent PCR RingCycles solution.It is clear to Welch that an increasing number of non-governmental recycling programs throughout the UK could close the gap in consumer information and industry resources. “While we are calling on local governments and industry to do more and create a unified recycling system, we can make progress toward a circular economy by embracing specialized programs available to us until we can achieve this goal,” he states.

Here, Welch refers to Hi-Cone’s partnership with TerraCycle, which has established a program that allows UK consumers to download a free post label on RingRecycleMe’s website and send in the ring carriers they have collected free of charge. “As of January 2020, we have had 450 teams register for the program and have collected 1,380 units for recycling,” he explains.

RingCycles launched last December and is expected to roll out across global markets by the end of 2020. Moreover, the 50 percent PCR content ring carriers will effectively halve our use of virgin plastic, Welch predicts. When considering the full life cycle of these materials, a Franklin Associates Life Cycle Assessment also found that RingCycles generated 89 percent less waste and 77 percent less CO2 to the environment than paperboard. 

The waste management consultancy agency also affirmed that the Hi-Cone ring carriers are“twice as sustainable as shrink and rigid packaging multipacks and three times as sustainable as paperboard.” Further, Hi-Cone is working toward a 100 percent recyclable, compostable or biodegradable packaging solution by 2025 and progressing toward a 50 percent PCR ring carrier. 

OPRL's binary labeling system.Bursting the bubble: Potential solutions scrutinized
Earlier this year, PackagingInsights reported on the binary labeling system (“Recycle” or “Don’t Recycle”) launched by British recycling label authority The On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL), which is designed to simplify and improve consumer recycling. However, Welch voices concerns that it could simultaneously leave behind a multitude of packaging materials that can be recycled in more specialist ways. 

“[The binary labeling system] can possibly discourage progress toward new recycling methods. Our concern is that labeling certain packaging as non-recyclable – sending it to landfill or incineration – may result in unnecessary waste. Instead of accepting a percentage of packaging as waste, we should see all packaging as valuable and part of a circular economy, encouraging reuse and recycling,” he highlights.

Ultimately, Welch affirms that there is currently “no one solution for collecting and properly recycling the wide variety of plastic packaging circulating in the market,” which is a notion echoed throughout the packaging industry. 

 By Anni Schleicher, with additional reporting by Joshua Poole