Every year, UK households throw away around 290,000 tonnes of plastic bags and wrapping, which represents almost a quarter of all consumer packaging waste, however only 6% is currently recycled*. Many supermarkets and e-commerce retailers use these plastic bags and packaging made of Low-Density Polyethylene, or LDPE, which is lightweight and flexible.
Pitman argues that it is irresponsible and misleading to consumers when these are labelled with the universal recycling symbol of three arrows in the shape of a triangle – the Mobius Loop – around the number four, the code for soft plastics, when the UK does not have the capacity to recycle them.
Pitman says: “Whilst LDPE can be recycled, it is no secret that our municipal recycling infrastructure currently only has capacity to recycle very low volumes, around 10,000 tonnes a year. This means that 'recyclable’ labelling on LDPE packaging is akin to virtue signalling. It suggests to shoppers that the retailer has taken steps to reduce their environmental impact, when in fact they have chosen to use packaging that they know will almost certainly end up in landfill, even though much less harmful packaging options exist.
“Alongside the lack of capacity in the UK, another key contributor to the low recycling figure is that only 17% of our local authorities currently offer kerbside collection of plastic bags and wrapping, and this is not likely to increase significantly before 2027 with the introduction of mandatory kerbside collections of flexible plastics. This is not the fault of retailers but, like all businesses, they have a responsibility to reduce their impact on the environment rather than increase it.”
He adds: “With the e-commerce sector in particular on course for continued growth and expected to make up an ever greater slice of the retail pie, these businesses have a responsibility to make responsible packaging choices and move away from LDPE polymailer bags, with or without the recycling label on them. By contrast, around 95% of all paper packaging can be recycled, and in the UK we recycle around 74%, with kerbside collection of paper widespread.”
In 2014, ONS data shows that online retail accounted for around 11 per cent of total retail sales in the UK. Ten years later, the proportion of online sales has more than doubled to almost 26%, with a temporary surge to almost 40% during COVID-19. Ongoing growth will lead to greater volumes of packaging in household waste.
The current situation makes it unlikely that the UK will meet targets set by the UK Plastics Pact, launched in 2018 and supported by DEFRA (Department for Food and Rural Affairs). Among key targets set were for 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, and for 70% of this packaging to be effectively recycled or composted by 2025.
Pitman concludes: “All businesses have a responsibility, but consumers also have a role to play. Whilst we wait for our local authorities to deliver kerbside recycling of plastic bags and wrapping, there are specialist recycling points, including at many mainstream supermarkets, and tools available to locate them. Another key challenge is that flexible plastic is often used for food packaging and so, at disposal, may have residue of the product it was holding. This can contaminate other items when recycled but consumers can make sure that they clean this waste before recycling it.”