BPF Gives Evidence to Environmental Audit Committee on plastic bottle inquiry

Following the Disposable Packaging: Coffee Cups and Plastic Bottles inquiry call for evidence, Barry Turner, Director of the Plastics and Flexible Packaging Group at the BPF gave evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee.

Barry talked about the work the industry has done to improve recycling and reduce litter and responded to questions on a Deposit Return Scheme. Barry noted that the industry does understand that DRSs achieve high recycling rates in some countries and might reduce the litter of plastic bottle, but explained that we have significant concerns about whether a DRS is the most appropriate intervention in terms of cost efficiency, effectiveness and the potential for unintended consequences – such as disruption to the kerbside recycling system.

Barry was interviewed alongside

• James Lowman, Chief Executive, Association of Convenience Stores
• Alice Ellison, Head of Environment, British Retail Consortium
• Barry Turner, Director of Plastics and Flexible Packaging, British Plastics Federation
• Gavin Partington, Director General, British Soft Drinks Association

Other panellists echoed the concerns that a DRS may not be the most effective option and advocated for reform to the Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRN) System, particularly around the area of export. Overall there was a recognition that the lack of infrastructure for collecting ‘on the go’ items should be addressed, while the kerbside system should be protected. There were also practical concerns raised as to whether small local shops could collect bottles and whether an exemption for small retailers would be a solution – as it is likely to drive footfall to larger retailers.

The afternoon panel heard from:

• Cllr David Simmonds CBE, LGA Vice-Chairman and Deputy Leader of the London Borough of Hillingdon
• Lee Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee
• Jakob Rindegren, Recycling Policy Advisor, Environmental Services Association

This evidence session saw agreement that losing a valuable recyclate from the kerbside system was a real concern for councils and there was not enough evidence for us to understand what the impact of a DRS would be on our kerbside system. The UK has a developed kerbside system, most countries that have DRSs have implement the DRS first and then implemented a DRS.

You can watch the full evidence session here.