The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has recently released its new recycling roadmap, which includes the latest data and what the UK could achieve over the next ten years.
BPF
The document highlights how many of the changes mentioned in the previous edition have not been implemented. This is because of key policies and challenging economic circumstances. Achieving a recycling rate of 69% by 2030, as the first edition pointed out, will take longer than expected and require collective effort from the government, the industry and the public.
The new edition stresses the need for more government support to increase investment in the UK’s recycling infrastructure, including mechanical and chemical recycling. The forecast outlines that the amount of material chemically recycled within the UK by 2030 is 200kT lower than the first roadmap predicted. However, the document notes that 400kT of chemically recycled materials is possible by 2035 if specific obstacles can be overcome. These include the need to clarify whether mass balance methodology is acceptable within the scope of the Plastic Packaging Tax.
The forecast was created using a scenario-based approach. It outlines that a 70% reuse and recycling rate can be achieved by 2035, with an extra 23% of total plastic waste being mechanically recycled in the UK and 6% being chemically recycled. By then, 15% less plastic could be sent to energy recovery facilities and 13% of the UK’s total plastic waste could be reused. This would save one million tonnes of carbon (CO2e) emissions.
To achieve this, there should be:
- Increasing investment
- Optimising legislation and existing systems
- Improving communication and collection systems
BPF Sustainability Manager Helen Jordan states:
"The forecasts within the new BPF Recycling Roadmap present milestones that are achievable but also deliberately ambitious. The UK could be a leading nation when it comes to the sound management of plastic waste if there is a step change in how we perceive plastic items that have reached the end of their first life. We call upon the government to help the UK achieve its true potential as an environmentally conscientious nation with optimized waste management practices."