The UK has exceeded the packaging recycling targets set by the government for 2007 by nearly one million tonnes.

New figures issued this week show that the country comfortably met its producer responsibility target to recycle and recover energy from 67% of obligated packaging waste.

The figures from the National Packaging Waste Database relate to packaging recycled in the final quarter of 2007 by accredited reprocessors and material exported abroad by approved exporters.

A further 44 companies - including some significant players like Novelis Recycling, British Polythene and Sonae UK - are still to submit data for the fourth quarter of 2004.

The figures suggest the UK is in a relatively good position ahead of 2008, when targets set by Europe's Packaging Directive must be met. However, national targets for 2008 were revised by Defra last month, and will require some increases in packaging waste recycling levels (see letsrecycle.com story).

Wood and Paper

According to the statistics issued by the Environment Agency, which hosts the Database, the paper and wood sectors beat their targets in 2007 by the largest extent.

Wood had the largest surplus of recycling by percentage of any material stream, beating its 209,000 tonne target for 2007 by a long way. Wood recyclers processed nearly four times more packaging waste than required to meet the material-specific target.

As with previous years, the paper sector also comfortably beat its target - by nearly 30%. However, this year paper was the only material stream where recycling decreased in Q4 of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006.

Metals

Reported levels of steel packaging recycling rocketed in late 2007, after dipping in the middle of the year, with almost double the amount of packaging recycled in Q4 compared to quarter three.

Recycling of aluminium packaging meanwhile gradually picked up during the year to surpass government targets by just over 10%. Although the aluminium target was met with around 4,000 tonnes of PRNs available to carry over to use towards this year's obligation, tough targets ahead mean increases in aluminium collections will be required.

Glass and plastics

In the glass sector, tonnages at the end of 2007 slowed down again after a peak in the middle of the year.

However, the performance was an improvement compared to 2006 - with over 360,000 tonnes reported for Q4 compared to 319,000 tonnes the year before.

The plastic sector was closest to its 2007 target, achieving a surplus of just 5% of the 455,000 tonnes required to comply. However, a number of plastic reprocessors are still to submit their tonnages to the government - which would improve the reported situation.

• Joy Blizzard from the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) discusses the need for "real producer responsibility" in the retail chain, particularly in the recycling of plastics and composite packaging in her latest column in the letsrecycle.com opinions section >>