PFF Packaging disputes high-profile recycling findings of the UK Local Government Association

16 Aug 2018 --- A recent finding that only a third of household plastic is recyclable, published by the UK Local Government Association (LGA) in a recent report, has been disputed by the PFF Packaging Group. PFF's Managing Director, Kenton Robbins, says that the LGA report failed to give a fair account of UK plastic manufacturing and the initiatives of suppliers to pursue closed-loop recycling.

“The report claims that businesses are reluctant to discuss recycling issues with local authorities, but this is not the case with PFF,” Robbins comments. “We also know that one authority in our region sends very little waste to landfill and virtually zero plastic.” PFF claims that every item produced at its Keighley and Washington plants is recyclable.

“This report really doesn’t present an accurate picture of UK manufacturing or of all local authorities," says Robbins. “The Report claims that businesses are reluctant to discuss recycling issues with local authorities, but this is not the case with PFF. We are actively exploring innovative and ground-breaking initiatives with local authorities in our region that will take significant steps towards the development of closed loop recycling regionally and we look forward to reporting further on this shortly. We also know that one authority in our region sends very little waste to landfill and virtually zero plastic.”

“At PFF every item we produce at our Keighley and Washington plants is recyclable, as we have migrated products over the past 10 years to newer more environmentally friendly materials,” he continues. “We have taken literally hundreds of products and made them less impactful on the environment by engineering them to have a smaller environmental footprint and to ensure they are 100 percent recyclable and made from the highest possible recycled content – some of our products contain up to 90 percent recycled content. If we can get the used plastic back to us, we can re-use it over and over again!”

“We also need to understand that plastic plays a vital role in the food chain to protect food products and minimise food waste. Unlike some other formats plastic is light, hygienic and can be recycled many times. In our case these products are made in the UK and support vital UK manufacturing jobs,” he says.

“Plastic may currently be getting a bad press but we are proud of the work are doing with our customers to lead industry changes that underline our environmental credentials and help take care of the planet,” Robbins adds.

Cllr Judith Blake, LGA Environment spokesperson, said when the report was published earlier this month: “It’s time for manufacturers to stop letting a smorgasbord of unrecyclable and damaging plastic flow into our environment. Some of the measures that could help us reduce landfill and increase recycling are no-brainers; for instance, microwave meals should be stored in a container that is any other color than black, to enable quicker recycling.”

“We’ve been calling for producers of unrecyclable material to develop a plan to stop this from entering the environment for years. That needs to happen urgently, but the Government should now consider banning low-grade plastics, particularly those for single-use, in order to increase recycling.

“If manufacturers don’t want to get serious about producing material which can be recycled and protecting our environment, then they should at least contribute towards the cost that local taxpayers have to pay to clear it up.”

“We need an industry-wide, collaborative approach where together we can reduce the amount of material having an impact on the environment. But if industry won’t help us get there, then the Government should step in to help councils ensure we can preserve our environment for generations to come.”

In the news
The City Corporation of London has launched its Plastic Free City campaign in an attempt to reduce single-use plastics across the Square Mile. The campaign is targeting both big businesses as well as individuals, with the City Corporation itself, including the Barbican Centre and the Bank of England, along with financial services group Nomura and banking and asset management group Investec already signed-up. The pledge is wide-ranging, from stopping the use of plastic straws, cups or cutlery to registering as a water refill site. The move comes after research found four in five Generation Z workers expect employers to proactively tackle single-use plastics.

Initiatives to combat the difficulties of black plastic recycling are becoming more prevalent. In June, UK packaging supplier Faerch Plast announced that it was working collaboratively with Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s and leading UK waste re-processor Viridor to convert recycled black plastic into new food grade packaging. The result is a circular economy solution to a widely scrutinized material, which will initially see 120 tons of black plastic (eight million items) recycled each month beginning in July, the company claims.

By Joshua Poole