WASTE RECYCLING
So with success being proven, why hasn’t the rest of the UK followed the crowd? In August, MPs in England urged the prime minister to back an ‘all-in’ DRS for drinks containers, with the view that introducing the system by 2023 could be the answer to tackling plastic waste. Despite leaving the EU, the government has stated its intent to match their targets of collecting 90% of all single- use plastic bottles placed on the market by 2029 – so could a DRS help achieve that?
The process itself sounds simple enough, yet, there are logistical concerns. Retailers, for example, would see a complete overhaul to their systems. With customers regularly returning plastics and other materials they would need to implement effective methods to manage the collected waste. The introduction of such a scheme would bring with it added costs (albeit initially covered) and at the very least an initial disruption to the processes that many warehouses and backrooms already have in place.
There are also fines to consider. Project leader of the deposit return scheme, Stuart Murray last year stated: “The deposit return scheme is ultimately an obligation on the producers of the packaging to take the packaging back for recycling. They have a number of obligations in the regulations, as do retailers.” With that in mind, should a retailer fail to prepare for a DRS, it’s specified that fines of up to £10,000 can be issued. And right now, in the midst of an economic crisis, you can see why some have raised concerns about how achievable this is.
Preparing early
With an onus placed firmly on them, it’s imperative for retailers to prepare early, readying themselves for the influx of used cans, glass bottles and plastic drinks containers that will be returned under the scheme – should it be introduced.
Already, drinks bottles that are made from polythene terephthalate (PET bottles) are an indispensible part of today’s retail industry. With a DRS system in place, the collection, disposal and recycling of PET bottles will become more essential than ever and retail organisations will need to rise to the new challenge.
To begin with, those set to collect PET bottles must begin to forecast their own collection levels, working out the
warehouse/backroom space needed to do so. By predicting the amount of bottles they’ll collect, decision makers will begin to understand the in-house processes and machines they must have in place to deal with those volumes. For example, PET-Crushers can reduce the space that’s required for plastic waste by reducing the volume of empty bottles by 25-30%. But for larger scale projects with a higher volume of plastic waste, more expansive crusher- baler combinations are able to reduce volume by up to 90% while producing compact bales of raw material.
With an estimated goal of 90% of drinks containers being returned, the environmental technology teams have in place will become even more crucial to their operations. It’s key for decision makers to seek out their options early, finding tailored compressing and invalidating solutions that can then become a vital part of their backroom operation.
A better tomorrow
With sustainability and recycling pressures building and evident success of DRS systems across the world, it’s surely only a matter of time until the remainder of the UK passes a DRS bill.
Put simply, retailers must address this probability sooner rather than later. These systems can offer us a more sustainable future, keeping plastics away from our oceans, with retailers playing a big part in the process. But without concrete plans for their backroom logistics in place, the introduction of a new coherent system could leave too many organisations fatefully drowning in a sea of their own plastic.
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