DISPOSABLES & RECYCLING UK Plastics Pact making inroads
UK Plastics Pact members have made some good progress in the reduction of the amount of plastic packaging being used, but there are still significant challenges ahead
The UK Plastics Pact brings together businesses from across the entire plastics value chain with UK governments and NGOs to tackle the scourge of plastic waste. It is led by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), an
environmental charity that works with governments, businesses and individuals to ensure that the world’s natural resources are used sustainably. Releasing the second annual report for the UK Plastics Pact, chief
executive of WRAP, Marcus Gover, welcomed the progress being made. He said: “It’s great to see UK Plastics Pact members cutting
unnecessary plastic packaging by 40% and increasing recycling to 50% in just one year. “This was exactly why we set up the Pact - to tackle problematic plastic,
increase re-use and recycling, and stop plastic polluting the environment. I am delighted with the progress and very pleased to see leading businesses trialling refill and reuse alternatives.”
The 2019 UK PlasTics PacT daTa shows:
Target 1 - 400 million items classed as problematic or unnecessary were sold by Pact members in 2019 (a 40% reduction from 2018). Target 2 - 64% of plastic packaging placed on the market by Pact members continues to be recyclable. Target 3 - The amount of plastic packaging recycled in the UK has increased from 44% in 2018 to 50% in 2019. Target 4 - Average recycled content has increased from 9% in 2018 to 13% in 2019.
Mr Gover said: “Of course we will always need
to do more to deliver our bold ambition for 2025. I am looking forward to UK Plastics Pact members eliminating more unnecessary plastic and further increasing the recyclability of packaging in 2021. “Developing solutions to overcome the challenges of recycling
flexible plastic packaging will be a particular priority. Collection points for plastic bags and films at supermarkets will be an important step in the right direction, but we need all supermarkets to collect all plastic films to make this work. Together we can. Together we will.” Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “I’m very pleased to see the
progress of The UK Plastics Pact which is tackling one of the greatest threats to our environment, and I thank all those involved who are working on this vital project. “We must continue to go further and faster to tackle unnecessary
plastic, and that’s why we have recently banned the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and confirmed the extension of the single-use carrier bag charge to all retailers, which has already cut sales by 95% in the main supermarkets. “Our landmark Environment Bill will also give us powers to introduce
deposit return schemes for drinks containers and extended producer responsibility for packaging. From 2022 we will also introduce a world- leading tax on plastic packaging which doesn’t meet a minimum threshold of at least 30% recycled content.”
Cup recycling breakthrough
A challenge from TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to major coffee chains has led to the development of a plastic-free and recyclable lid-free takeaway cup.
Chef Fearnley-Whitingstall urged the chains to do everything they could to switch to a ‘properly recyclable’ cup in order to solve the ‘takeout trash mountain’ created by discarded coffee cups. Britons throw away 2.5 billion coffee cups each year, while only one in 400 is
recycled. If each of those 2.5 billion cup lids were placed on top of each other, they would create a stack long enough to stretch around the entire world. Founder of the Butterfly Cup Tommy McLoughlin found a solution to the
problem by developing what he calls ‘the world’s most environmentally- friendly disposable cup’ and hopes it will ‘lift the lid on the eco disaster’ posed by coffee cup plastic waste. Most cups to date are not recycled thanks to their plastic lining and
separate plastic lid. Unlike traditional takeaway cups, the ButterflyCup contains no plastic laminate and crucially, due to its all-in-one design, eliminates the need for a plastic lid. The cup can be recycled in the regular paper bin along with cardboard and ordinary paper, biodegrades naturally and can be composted.
The cup is initially being unveiled at
WWT (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust) centres across the UK while the company has already held talks with several of the major coffee chains and the cup is is currently used in more than 20 countries across five continents. Mr McLoughlin said: “We are thrilled to
be launching in the UK with WWT, an organisation whose ethos of protecting the natural world we share. Head of Sustainability at WWT, Lucy Smith said: “We are delighted to
be using ButterflyCup across all our wetland sites. We have had brilliant feedback from staff and visitors when we trialled it at one of our centres. “The product offers a simple but brilliant solution to part of the plastic
waste crisis.”
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