Defra in muddle over plastic packaging policy

Government policy on plastic packaging recycling lacks joined up thinking and is in a complete muddle according to the head of the Packaging and Films Association (PAFA).

Addressing MPs and members of the packaging industry at a reception at the House of Commons last week (May 16), Barry Turner, chief executive of PAFA – which represents the UKs plastic film producers – said he was frustrated by the governments decision to increase plastic packaging recycling targets.

According to Mr Turner, Defra pressed ahead with the decision to introduce new targets without first hearing findings from the Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP), due to be released this summer.

ACP

The ACP was tasked with advising the government on achieving its ambitions outlined in the UK’s Packaging Strategy, published in 2009, but Defra instead opted to approve new packaging targets this year, increasing the target for recycling plastic packaging from 32% in 2012 to 48% in 2017.

Mr Turner has warned that the governments proposals to increase the recycling targets for plastic packaging have been spread over too short a period of time with PAFA advocating the introduction of the same targets over a ten year period, instead of five as favoured by Defra.

He said: In spite of all our efforts it was very disappointing to see DEFRA rush through a proposal that totally failed to address the key goal of diversion of plastics from landfill and instead just focused on setting a recycling target. Most frustrating was the fact that this was done before the ACP and plastics taskforce had completed its work and the ACP had reported its findings.

According to Mr Turner, Defra has failed to produce a coherent policy setting out how plastic packaging waste can avoid landfill and is silent on how the waste that is not sent for recycling should be dealt with. PAFA supports converting plastic waste to energy as an alternative to the material being sent to landfill.

He said: I can only conclude that this government – unlike Scotland and Wales who have set clear targets in relation to diversion from landfill – is not at all concerned that a valuable resource like plastics will continue to be sent to landfill beyond 2017.

All this when industry itself is calling long and hard for moves which would beneficially recover the enormous resource value in plastics. This indicates that, in England, waste policy lacks any joined up thinking and is in complete muddle.

Infrastructure

According to PAFA, local authorities will need to step up collections of lightweight plastics such as pots, tubs, trays and films in order for the UK to meet the higher recycling target, but are currently reluctant to do so as weight based recycling targets mean that collecting heavier materials make it easier to meet recycling targets.

PAFA is calling for local authorities to be given material specific rather than weight-based recycling targets for plastic packaging in order to encourage greater collection of these materials.

However, Mr Turner believes that the UKs recycling infrastructure is currently ill equipped to handle the significant amounts of film plastics that he says would be necessary if the UK were to be likely to meet the higher recycling targets and further investment is needed.

He said: Many MRFs are simply not equipped to sort the many plastic products in use at present most MRFs were designed to separate out plastic bottles not pots, tubs, trays and films, what infrastructure that does exist is already struggling with the very limited volumes of films and pots, tubs and trays being collected at present.

With scarce funding available, unless the government is going to exponentially increase its support to the waste management industry, this looks like posing a significant hurdle when combined with the speed at which it will have to swing into place.