Recoup, a non-profit promoting plastics recycling, has published a new report: Local Authority Plastics End Market Analysis.
The report looks at how local authorities are dealing with the knock-on effects of post-consumer plastics import bans put in place by a series of countries.
The material shows that more than half of local authorities are now ‘experiencing issues’ related to plastics recycling, with almost half saying that market values of collected plastics have been adversely affected.
This is in part due to consumers who, while being interested in recycling plastics, often return non-target materials, or plastics which are not presented in optimal condition (food contamination, etc.).
The UK Government has recently closed four consultations tasked with meeting commitments set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan. These cover how the UK funds and manages waste materials.
According to Recoup, new funding and infrastructure, in combination with investment to transform consumer collections and material sorting, should be central components of the changes.
Speaking about the new report, Steve Morgan, technical manager at Recoup, said: “The UK has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to really grow its plastic recycling infrastructure and capabilities. Through innovation to create new and better markets, development of state-of-the-art recycling facilities to use recycled plastics in manufactured products, the UK can become world leaders in plastic resource management.”