Is all plastic recyclable?

Technology exists to recycle all common types of plastic.

The technology exists to recycle all types of plastic. Some plastics are currently easier to recycle than others but recycling plants with technology capable of recycling the more challenging packaging designs are being developed all over the world. In the UK, there are nine plants either already constructed, at pilot phase or under construction.[1]

Packaging that is currently collected from households including bottles, pots, tubs and trays are widely recycled using 'mechanical' recycling. 

Innovative technology involves purification techniques and what is commonly known as ‘chemical recycling’, which is an umbrella term for a number of different processes that convert plastic waste into base chemicals and chemical feedstocks.

The growth of chemical (non-mechanical) recycling technologies can help reduce the UK’s GHG emissions. Less ‘virgin’ material would be needed and more plastic waste would be diverted from energy from waste (EFW) facilities or landfill.

Where is plastic film collected to be recycled in Europe?

SOURCE - Adapted from Plastics Recyclers Europe - Flexible Films Market in Europe: State of Play (2020)

78% of the UK’s post-consumer plastic is currently recycled or sent to an EFW facility.[2] To increase the amount of plastic the UK recycles, films and flexible packaging also need to be collected from households and businesses. Once collected, this material will need sorting and reprocessing in order to meet the demand for recylate generated from the plastic packaging tax. End markets for this material exist in non-food applications and innovative technology such as chemical recycling enables more of this recycled material to be used in contact with food.

 

By using mechanical recycling to reprocess the majority of plastic and non-mechanical recycling as a complementary technology for the rest, most of the plastic the UK uses could be recycled within the country by 2030, with only 1% going to landfill, provided the right drivers are in place.[3]

 

To achieve this, there needs to be an increase in the amount of recycled material used in a wide range of products and better communication to consumers about what can be recycled. There also needs to be significant investment in expanding and improving the UK’s recycling infrastructure (including non-mechanical recycling), as well as legislation ensuring plastic waste collection schemes are the same across all local authorities, including the collection of plastic film and flexible packaging, which is common in Europe.[4]

 

 

 

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