With Government-led packaging and recycling initiatives gathering pace in the UK, Zoe Brimelow, a Director at packaging manufacturer and consultancy Duo, believes it’s time for a national, circular packaging plan.
The Simpler Recycling scheme came into effect on 31st March. Government has recently launched an administrator – PackUK – to oversee the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR), and we’re edging closer to a final iteration of pEPR fees.
Changes are taking place to encourage more sustainable packaging practices and to support the UK’s transition to a circular economy. And, with this month marking the third anniversary of another similar initiative, the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT), it seems an apt time to consider how effective these schemes are.
Simpler Recycling, for example, aims to increase the sorting and separation of recyclable waste in workplaces. This should be welcomed and embraced. However, does the infrastructure exist to process the sorted waste? I suspect not. On Global Recycling Day last month (18th March), Duo teamed up with social enterprise EMERGE Recycling to launch a pilot to collect Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE) packaging from businesses across Greater Manchester.
LDPE is one of the UK’s least recycled plastics and the uptake from businesses in the pilot demonstrated the urgent demand to collect this material. During the short pilot, LDPE was successfully collected, recycled and used in the manufacture of ecommerce mail bags. There are now plans to build on this, but this is a small step forwards to solving the much bigger problem of LDPE recycling. A more cohesive approach involving local authorities and investment in recycling infrastructure is required.
Such investment should be forthcoming. The pEPR will reportedly help stimulate an estimated £10billion investment in recycling services and infrastructure over the next decade. Sounds great, until you dig a bit deeper and realise there’s no obligation in the pEPR scheme for local authorities to spend the scheme’s fees on improving recycling. Will cash-strapped councils end-up spending the money elsewhere?
There’s a sense of déjà vu around investment being derived from an economic stimulus that’s intended to support packaging recycling. During its first two years, the PPT generated £553million in revenues. There’s been no clarity about how this new stream of tax revenue has been used.
Has PPT revenue been spent on supporting the tax’s objective of creating greater demand for recycled plastic packaging? Will pEPR fees be invested in recycling infrastructure? What’s happening to develop the UK’s recycling infrastructure to effectively process the Simpler Recycling waste that will be separated in workplaces? Businesses paying fees and taxes deserve answers to these questions, and greater clarity about how all these schemes dovetail to improve packaging sustainability.
It's time for the Government to join the dots by producing a national, circular packaging plan. This could clearly outline how initiatives such as the PPT, pEPR, Simpler Recycling, the Deposit Return Scheme etc are working together to enhance packaging sustainability and reduce the dependency on virgin resources.