Landscaping Feature
Maintenance & Refurbishment Why specify recycled plastic?
Sarah Mitchell of Goplastic explores how and why landlords and social housing providers should utlise recycled plastic in their projects.
total amount. The amount of plastic waste generated annually in the UK is estimated to be
T
nearly 5 million tonnes, half of which comes from packaging (Source: House of Commons Briefing Paper on Plastic Waste, 2020). Most families throw away about 40kg of plastic per year, which could
otherwise be recycled. Much of this ends up in the waste stream affecting our rivers, oceans and wildlife. Certainly there are some first use plastics which are beneficial to our
communities; improving food hygiene and reducing package weight, which in turn reduces carbon emissions during transport of goods. However, other categories of first use plastics have already been banned. These items, such as drinking straws and drink stirrers can be replaced with alternative materials that are degradable. Currently over 6.6 million tons of plastic are used globally in the
recycling industry, but there is a long way to go. The UK government’s current strategy is to work toward all plastics produced being either recyclable, reusable or compostable by the year 2025. The UK has had a system of producer responsibility for packaging
in place since 1997. This has helped to drive recycling of packaging waste from 25 per cent, 20 years ago to 64.7 per cent in 2016. This system is currently being overhauled to incorporate new measures such as incentives to encourage producers to design and use packaging that can be recycled. The new system aims to produce greater clarity on materials, or types of plastic that can be recycled and those that can’t, by introducing mandatory labelling on all packaging to indicate if it is recyclable or not. With methods of collecting and sorting plastics for recycling also
improved, there is one final part of the loop to close. What to do with the plastic collected? The recycling industry, with the aid of constantly improving technology, have been developing products to give plastic a 'second
he world's annual consumption of plastic materials has increased from around 5 million tonnes in the 1950s to nearly 100 million tonnes today. European production accounts for about 57 million tonnes of this
Currently over 6.6 million tons of plastic are used globally in the recycling industry, but there is a long way to go
life' and is becoming a force for the introduction of recycled plastic into many major industries.
WHY SPECIFY RECYCLED PLASTIC PRODUCTS? Recycled plastic has historically been considered ‘functional’, but with design teams on board, this material is now considered a first choice, and its benefits often outweigh the more traditional choices of timber and steel. The splinter-free, rot-proof, maintenance-free and durable nature of
this product, means that there is no need for cyclical maintenance or major replacement programmes. WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), gives an estimated
lifespan for recycled plastic of 40 years. This results in a considerable economic benefit.
Turning a poorly defined rubbish area...
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM February/March 2021 | 37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
