Milk bottle recycling rates are all white, says Nampak

UK producer of plastic milk bottles, Nampak, has praised the UK’s recycling levels for high density polyethylene (HDPE), which reached an all time high of 79 percent, according to statistics from recycling organisation, Recoup. 

Recoup’s 2013 survey estimates that 316,054 tonnes of plastic bottles were collected for recycling in 2012, and of those, 96,396 tonnes were HDPE milk bottles.

Steve Morgan, Technical Manager at Recoup Recycling, said: “Recoup celebrates the continued and increasing success of milk bottle recycling in the UK, however, there is more that can be done. Later this year the aim is to further increase collection levels of all plastic bottles as part of a national plastic recycling communications initiative Recoup are leading on.”

Nampak, which manufactures a HPDE milk bottle known as ‘Infini’, launched a version of the bottle containing up to 30 percent recycled HDPE last year, in a continuing drive for sustainability within the plastics packaging industry.

“We are thrilled with the continued progress being shown in the sector. It is something we feel is incredibly important,” commented Eric Collins, Managing Director of Nampak Plastics.

“At Nampak we strive to ensure not only our bottles, but also our manufacturing processes, are providing the most sustainable solution possible. As such, these results are very encouraging and we hope to see even further improvement this year.”