UK recycling problems costing councils up to US$647,000 annually, poll notes

24 Oct 2018 --- At least 20 percent of UK councils have felt a direct impact from China’s restrictions on imports of mixed paper and plastics over the last year, with some noting increased recycling costs of US$647,000 (£500,000) since the restrictions, a poll by the Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed. The poll has further ignited calls for manufacturers to reduce the amount of unrecyclable material entering the market in the first place.

The incline in recycling costs is due in part to increased costs for processing materials for recycling. The fee charged to councils to process materials collected from curbside collection at a materials recovery facility (MRF) is said to have increased from $19 (£15) to $28 (£22) per ton over the last year. The fee has risen to $45 (£35) a ton compared with $37 (£29) a ton for contracts signed in the past year.

“It’s clear that the ban by China on imported waste, which could soon be implemented from other countries, could have a marked impact on councils’ ability to recycle. It’s essential that the Government provide support to help councils offset the loss of income they face as a result of the ban and encourage manufacturers to use more recyclable materials,” says Cllr Martin Tett, LGA Environment spokesperson.

Council leaders are calling for manufacturers to contribute more towards local authority costs for processing recycling and to reduce the amount of material, such as black plastic trays, entering the environment in the first place, as a way to cut out a need to export waste to other countries in the first place.

According to the National Audit Office, UK councils must fund most of the bill for recycling processes. However, in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, retailers and products fully fund the cost of household recycling collections.

The LGA is also urging the Government to address the longer term impact of the China ban in its forthcoming Resources and Waste Strategy.

Indeed, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said back in December that Britain had to “stop offshoring our dirt” and deal with its plastic waste at home. But he also said that in the short term, the country would continue sending its waste abroad, as reported by Greenpeace’s Unearthed. 

Labour MP and member of the Environmental Audit Committee, Kerry McCarthy, told Unearthed that the government had failed to “come to its senses” since the China ban.

“It is essential that the Government take the opportunities of the upcoming Autumn Budget and publication of its Resources and Waste strategy to assess the financial impact of these bans on councils thoroughly, and encourage manufacturers to take up more of the responsibility for dealing with these unrecyclable materials,” says Tett.

Compounding the need for action, Malaysia has also imposed a three-month ban on importing scrap plastics with Vietnam looking into banning scrap plastics as well, prompting concerns that recycling issues and the cost to taxpayers could increase. Thailand is to prohibit the importation of plastic waste from wealthy nations by 2021.

Councils are keen for manufacturers to contribute to the fight against plastic waste by reducing the amount of unrecyclable material in the first place and by contributing more to council’s responsibilities to increase recycling and reduce the amount of plastic waste in their communities.

Indeed, UK plastics recycling company Veolia is calling for standardized packaging which makes products recyclable by design. The call comes as it was revealed that 93 percent of UK consumers think plastic bottles should contain recycled content and would be willing to pay an average of 2.5p more. Veolia is also recommending a simplification of recycling to “remove confusion” and an increase in the use of recycled content in the manufacturing of new products. 

A range of food and beverage companies, retailers and manufacturers have banded together under the UK Plastics Pact to address the levels of unrecyclable plastic and waste in the country. The Pact has certainly moved forward, with some large leaps being made in its first six months.

Further in UK recycling issues, the Guardian has reported that international markets are beginning to stop accepting UK packaging waste amid allegations of fraud. The UK plastic recycling industry is likely to face an investigation after complaints surfaced that firms and organized crime rings are allegedly abusing the export system by illegal profiting and the pollution of rivers and oceans.

PackagingInsights has been monitoring the status of UK recycling systems and infrastructure, recently reporting on the plastic recycling industry news of corruption allegations, the intensifying calls to recycle waste in the UK, the reality of recycling in post-Brexit Britain and interviewing the UK Recycling Association CEO, Simon Ellin.

By Laxmi Haigh