Yes or no? OPRL simplifies UK consumer recycling with binary labeling system

06 Jan 2020 --- The UK’s leading recycling label authority The On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) is set to launch a binary labeling system (“Recycle” or “Don’t Recycle”) this month that is designed to simplify and improve consumer recycling. The move follows the UK Governments’ favored approach in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) consultations and supports the achievement of The UK Plastics Pact recycling target. The labels are modeled on consumer research insights, conducted as part of OPRL’s Labelling Rules review.

OPRL’s widely drawn Steering Group has developed new recycling rules, which now take account of UK recycling infrastructure’s ability to sort, process and find markets for packaging materials, as well as the availability of council collection services. These changes move the scheme in line with ISO 14021 for self-declared environmental claims such as recyclability, matching OPRL’s PREP UK tool.

The new rules move the majority of packaging into a binary labeling system i.e. “Recycle” or “Don’t Recycle.” As now, there are a small number of exceptions for packaging dependent on “bring site” (local recycling facilities which accept certain pre-sorted household waste) or “front of store” collections. Responding to extensive consumer insight research, the new labels are simpler with a clear call to action.

“This move towards a binary label reflects both our wish to respond to consumer demands for clarity and the maturation of the UK’s collections system towards greater consistency,” notes Jane Bevis, Chair of OPRL.

“Our research shows that while 84 percent of citizens check on-pack labels for recyclability, it’s a split-second glance for a Yes/No decision. Our new ‘Recycle’ and ‘Don’t Recycle’ labels will ensure more packaging gets into the recycling stream and will improve quality at the same time.”

OPRL believes that the binary labeling system will be essential to delivering on the Plastics Pact commitment to almost double the recycling of plastic packaging by 2025. In February, UK WRAP and OPRL formed a strategic partnership to provide consistent messaging on packaging labels and improve household and on-the-go recycling levels.

“Clear labeling on packaging is crucial to encourage citizens to recycle more materials correctly, more often. So we wholeheartedly welcome this evolution of the successful OPRL system, which will give citizens a straightforward call to action over whether they can recycle an item or not,” comments Peter Maddox, Director of WRAP UK.The new rules move the majority of packaging into a binary labeling system: “Recycle” or “Don’t Recycle.”

“We are also pleased to see that the new system takes account of the entire recycling journey of a material, not just whether it is collected or not. This will help to ensure that packaging is designed for recyclability and maximize the opportunity for packaging to be recycled back into new packaging.”

Cutting contamination
In the binary system, any material not collected by at least half of UK councils will automatically be labeled “Don’t Recycle” to avoid contamination problems.

“When we looked at the collection figures, those materials that fall in the ‘Don't Recycle’ category tend to be collected by a very small number of councils, so we don't feel there will be any negative impact from this,” Alice Harlock Membership and Services Manager for OPRL tells PackagingInsights.

“We appreciate that further changes to reprocessing infrastructure and associated recycling collections will be brought in over the next few years, as well as the introduction of new and innovative packaging solutions. The new labeling system will be adapted to reflect these changes as and when required,” Harlock adds.

Speaking at Packaging Innovations 2019 in London, Jane Bevis described how OPRL has grown into the UK's most widely recognized recycling labeling system and how other countries including the US, Australia and Singapore have adopted similar, evidence-based systems.

OPRL’s recycling labels are recognized by 3 in 4 consumers, according to 2,580 online and 50 in-depth face to face surveys of UK residents in November/December 2018, by Tangible for OPRL. The labeling scheme is used on hundreds of thousands of product lines, including by 95 percent of multiple grocery retailers.

What’s next for OPRL?
In 2020, the not-for-profit will work to grow and expand the breadth of its membership and develop a suite of services to support members in preparing for EPR reforms, based on the recyclability assessment tool, PREP UK, Harlock says.

“We're also looking at how we can help to reduce recycling confusion further with the development of our We Recycle App. Also, Professor Margaret Bates will be joining us in February as our new Executive Director.”

“Our aim is always to support our members to make the right choice in packaging materials for product protection and recycling. We are passionate about making recycling easy for the UK citizen,” she concludes.

By Joshua Poole