PLASTICS RECYCLING COUNCIL JOINS BPF

The Plastics Recycling Council has recently become an Affiliate Member of the British Plastics Federation. The  arrangement will allow the Recycling Council to benefit from a package of services provided by the BPF including provision of the Council’s Secretariat. 

Philip Law, BPF’s Public and Industrial Affairs Director said: “The Recycling Council has a long history of association with the BPF and Affiliate Membership will bring benefits to both organisations by providing greater unity of plastics industry representation on waste management issues surrounding plastics. Both organisations are at one in their view of recycling as the first option to be considered in extracting the residual value from used plastics products. The joint platform will be an excellent springboard for the industry to capitalise on the  growing opportunities for recycled products as manifested, for example, in the Sustainable Development Strategy for the 2012  Olympic Games ’’

Speaking for the Recycling Council its Chairman, Mark Burstall ,added: ’’This is a timely move as many public initiatives affecting recyclers are now maturing. We, like the BPF, are heavily involved in governmental consultations on the revision of the Waste Framework Directive which will be critical in setting the tone of future waste management legislation in Europe. We are also both involved in the implementation of the EU’s incoming REACH Regulation which promises difficult consequences for recyclers. It makes great sense to join forces with the BPF and to find common solutions to these problems.”

Whilst opportunities for plastics recycling are increasing with the intensifying interest in ‘’sustainability’’ themes at  both governmental and industrial levels business conditions for recyclers remain difficult. Paradoxically there is a shortage of usable waste and the Recycling Council and the BPF have both castigated the legally mandated export of waste for recycling as acting as a brake on the development of a domestic plastics recycling culture in the UK. Despite this membership of the Recycling Council is growing and its officers see Affiliation to the BPF as a means of broadening the range of membership benefits even further.