The UK must “take back control” of its share of the global plastics problem, says report

13 Feb 2019 --- If the UK wants to be a global environmental leader, it can no longer afford to “sweep its plastic waste issues under other countries’ carpets,” according to The Plastics Packaging Plan, a new report from UK think tank Policy Connect. The report comprises insights from prominent names in research, innovation, politics and industry with support from UK Research and Innovation, and calls for a bold national policy framework to help reduce ocean plastic overseas and boost domestic infrastructure investment and green jobs.

The report comes at a fraught time for UK waste management. With mounting public concerns around the UK’s regulatory position as it exits the EU in less than 50 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. However, the report has spurred some concern from the UK recycling industry which notes that plastics needs to be exported as part of a circular economy and without this mechanism, the cost of recycling in the UK will sharply rise. 

The report calls for a 2030 net-zero export target, packaging that is easier for consumers to recycle, investment in the British waste economy, improved leadership in packaging design from large retailers and a Plastic Packaging taskforce. 

In order to achieve the recommended targets, the number of recycling plants that are currently housed in the UK will need to be trebled. Some further key recommendations included in the targets are:

• Following the model of the Climate Change Act: gradually-increasing targets for recycling levels should be set urgently by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra); at minimum in line with the EU Circular Economy Package. 
• The extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme should be reformed to ensure local authorities, packaging initiatives and waste managers work with shared objectives.
• Local authorities and central government should explore new approaches for encouraging higher household recycling rates.
• Recycling labels should be mandatory for packaging of all goods sold into the UK market.

According to the report, the UK uses 3.3 million tons of plastic packaging annually. At 50kg for each person in the country, this is far above the EU average of 31kg.

Emulating someCredit: The Plastics Packaging Plan from Policy Connect.aspects of waste management from other EU countries could offer the UK direction, Jacob Ainscough, author of the report and Sustainable Research Fellow at Policy Connects, tells PackagingInsights.

“We could learn a lot from Germany. It uses a combination of Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), economic incentives for households to bin items properly and clear labeling. The governance of its producer responsibility system is also quite good. It has now introduced a central body to oversee the system which is similar to the Environment Agency plastic packaging task force we suggest in our recommendations.”

“France seems to lead the way in terms of adding a level of fee modulation for producer responsibility payments, which means paying more for less sustainable packaging. This is something we want to see come out of producer responsibility reform in the UK,” explains Ainscough.

“Also, although not a separate member state – Wales is a good model for having consistent collections in each local authority – and has a very high recycling rate as a result,” he adds. 

Building on the government's Resources and Waste Strategy 
The report applauds the government’s Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS), which launched in December last year as an “ambitious blueprint.” However, it calls on the government to take things further. 

“The [report’s] recommendations build on the direction of travel set by the RWS, seeking to stretch its ambition for plastic waste. In particular, it proposes that the UK handles plastic packaging at home, rather than exporting over four Wembley stadiums full each year to countries with lower recycling and environmental standards. To drive action we require a bold target of net zero exports of recyclable plastic packaging by 2030 at the latest,” says the report. Credit: The Plastics Packaging Plan from Policy Connect.

“As we seek to use more and more recycled content in our plastic packaging, having a ready stream of recycled material here in the UK will mean we can create a truly circular plastics economy,” the report continues.

Industry responses: A mixed bag
Speaking to PackagingInsights, Simon Ellin, Chief Executive of the UK Recycling Association says, “it is concerning that MPs are seeking zero exports of plastic packaging for recycling by 2030. Many legitimate companies are sustainably exporting plastics, often to places they were manufactured in the first place.”

“By banning exports, we also risk removing competition, making the cost of recycling much higher. I’m in favor of increasing UK recycling infrastructure and that needs investment, but we do not want to create a UK monopoly that makes plastic recycling expensive.”

“We need to be able to export plastics as part of a global circular economy to ensure that they are recycled sustainably. Countries we export to are already ensuring that only the very best material is taken for recycling. What we have to do is ensure that we create a quality commodity to meet their specifications. This means manufacturers designing and producing packaging that is easily recyclable, while local authorities need to collect material in a way that makes it easy to sort without leading to contamination,” Ellin notes.

By creating the right conditions for recycling, the UK and export plastic recyclers can benefit from a better feedstock that may lead to more recycled content being used by packaging manufacturers both in the UK and elsewhere, Ellin concludes.

Credit: The Plastics Packaging Plan from Policy Connect.Despite the reservations put forward by the recycling industry, the report has garnered the support of a wide range of UK politicians and big industry, such as Nestlé: “To realize our collective ambitions of a circular economy, the UK must invest in long-term infrastructure development to facilitate waste recovery and recycling. Such a strategy must support and strengthen market engagement, from both public and private sectors, while ensuring equitable coverage for all across the country,” says Stefano Agostini, CEO of Nestlé UK & Ireland.

Conversely, Mary Creagh MP, Chair of the Environment Audit Committee, says that the level of plastic waste that the UK is exporting is bad for business, jobs and the environment. Achieving the goals laid out in the report will require solutions such as DRS by 2022, she explains.

In response to the report, the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), reiterated its stance on the issue of recycling and the introduction of a DRS.

“BSDA supports the introduction of a UK-wide full DRS for all plastic and can beverage containers as our assessment suggests this is the best way to increase recycling levels and tackle litter. However, this must be accompanied by reform of the current producer responsibility system to create greater transparency and increased investment in UK recycling infrastructure,” says association Director-General Gavin Partington. 

What are the next steps?
Speaking to PackagingInsights, Ainscough lays out what the potential next steps are, now that the report has been published.

“There is scope for a lot of our recommendations to be pursued through the RWS consultations – and we will be holding further round table events with Policy Connect’s stakeholders across industry and Parliament to build on our report’s findings and provide a strong response to these consultations. The main element of our recommendations that we will find it harder to pursue through these consultations is a target for stopping exports of recyclable plastic – we want to see this by 2030 at the latest,” he says.

“We know there is certainly an appetite for such an ambitious target and there are clear benefits to UK recycling sector. We will, therefore, be looking for opportunities to promote this idea, build support from across industry and engage with Defra to convince them to build this into their approach. These efforts will be helped by the Early Day Motion signed by over 30 MPs calling for an export ban – although we don’t want to see an outright ban, we will be reaching out to these MPs to discuss our proposals,” Ainscough concludes.

By Laxmi Haigh