BPF Statement in Response to LGA Recycling Comments

In response to recent media coverage on LGA comments regarding plastics recycling, Stephen Hunt, British Plastics Federation Membership Services Director, states:

“The LGA may be surprised to learn how closely our aims and objectives align to theirs and we would be delighted to work more closely with local authorities to discuss waste management issues.

The BPF are committed to reducing plastics waste and earlier this year we published a clear, ambitious vision that will ensure that in the future no plastics packaging goes to landfill therefore ensuring that we leave the environment in a better place than we found it. 

Whilst the volume of plastics packaging that is recycled, including pots, tubs and trays continues to increase year on year, more can clearly be done. The LGA, itself has a key role to play here and we have long been calling for standardised collection schemes.  There are currently over 300 different collection schemes in place across the UK and it is no surprise that there is confusion amongst the public when it comes to recycling.  More needs to be done here to simplify the schemes and therefore ensure that both the quality and volume of plastics available for UK recyclers increases. 

Plastics packaging is designed to serve a particular purpose and is used by brands and retailers as it ensures food is fresh, hygienic and lasts longer.  Banning some plastics is likely to increase the environmental burden of packaging. 

Polypropylene, for example, is fully recyclable. All plastics are technically recyclable, the extent to which they are is normally determined by the logistics of collection, and sorting, and availability of end-use markets.

The British Plastics Federation is urging the Government to reform the system of charges on the supply chain so that extra funding can be raised and deployed for additional recycling infrastructure in particularly for food packaging products consumed on-the-go.”